Founder and leader of Buzstopboys, Heneba Kwadwo Safo, has proposed a nationwide youth employment model that would assign young people to specific road segments to manage sanitation, cleaning, and environmental upkeep.
Speaking in an interview on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen, he said the initiative could create millions of jobs if government adopts a structured approach linking road maintenance with youth employment and digital platforms.
He explained that under the proposal, groups of five young people would be assigned to every five-kilometre stretch of road across the country to ensure regular cleaning and greening of the environment.
“It is an avenue to create more than one million jobs, and so I have a simple proposal. We have more than one million road network in the whole country. On every 5 kilometres of road, we should deploy five youth there who will be in charge of the greening, sweeping and everything that will make that section of the road the best,” he said.
He added that scaling the idea across the country could absorb a significant number of unemployed youth, especially if structured as a formal job system.
“So five multiplied by 250,000 road network is a lot of jobs,” he noted.
Heneba Safo further suggested integrating social media platforms into the programme, arguing that sanitation-related content could be monetised to supplement income for participants.
“What we should do is leverage social media and talk to platforms so that sanitation-related content pays them more or gives them leverage over others. Even from the videos they create, they can earn something,” he said.
He stressed that the initiative should be treated as a full-time employment system rather than an informal arrangement, likening it to structured 9-to-5 work.
“This can be a full-time job for people just like people go to work 9 to 5. They can also serve as sanitation police,” he explained.
He cited sections such as Dzorwulu to Mallam Junction as examples where over 200 young people could be deployed along a single stretch to maintain cleanliness and order.
Heneba Safo also argued that proper remuneration would make the work more attractive, pointing out that dignity in sanitation jobs comes with fair pay.
“It is because of good pay that is why someone can leave Ghana to do toilet work abroad and will not be ashamed of it,” he said.
He further suggested a daily toll or allowance system, adding that young people could be supported financially even beyond basic wages, with entry-level salaries for graduates starting around GH¢2,000.
He believes the model, if adopted, could transform sanitation management while creating sustainable employment opportunities nationwide.
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