Gov’t to create 20,000 permanent jobs through waste collection, recycling – Mahama Ayariga

The government of Ghana has announced plans to generate a minimum of 20,000 permanent jobs through the transformation of the country's waste management and circular economy sectors. Deputy Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy, and Religious Affairs, Mahama Ayariga, stated this during the Government Accountability Series on October 5, 2026.

Mr Ayariga highlighted that the initiative encompasses the establishment of a nationwide sanitation management system, which aims to enhance waste collection and disposal mechanisms while concurrently creating employment opportunities, with a special emphasis on young people and women. He expressed that he was being conservative with the estimated job creation figure.

The proposed system will be supported by investments in waste collection vehicles and tricycles, household waste bins, transfer stations, and engineered landfill sites. According to Ayariga, Finance Minister Ato Forson is awaiting the final cost estimates for the construction of engineered landfill sites in all regional capitals and waste transfer stations in every Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assembly (MMDA).

A key aspect of the reforms involves replacing existing open-bucket tricycles with self-loading and self-tipping vehicles, a move that could potentially open up more employment chances for women in the waste management sector. The Minister observed that every waste transfer station he visited had all tricycle riders and helpers as men, a situation he is striving to alter.

Ayariga made it clear that the new reforms are not designed to displace existing waste management workers. Instead, they intend to incorporate these workers into the new system. He assured them that the new system will include them. The reforms also aim to generate revenue through household waste collection payments, recycling activities, and entities involved in converting waste to energy.

While the government will initially fund the infrastructure investments, the system will recoup costs in the long run through the revenue generated from these activities. The move comes as the government strives to tackle persistent waste management challenges in the country, following President John Dramani Mahama's directive to address sanitation with urgency.