The Executive Secretary of the Environmental Service Providers Association (ESPA), Ama Ofori Antwi, has raised concerns over what she describes as the gradual collapse of waste management companies across Ghana, warning that the sanitation sector is under severe strain.
Speaking on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem, Madam Ofori Antwi revealed that many private companies that once operated in the waste management industry have folded up, while several others are struggling to stay afloat.
“When I started this job, I had over 200 companies as part of the association. Right now, I can’t even boast of 100. They have all collapsed,” she said.
According to her, the challenges facing the sector are affecting both formal and informal waste service providers, many of whom are finding it increasingly difficult to operate.
“Even the big ones are also on the verge of collapsing. If the government doesn’t support them, they could eventually go down just like the others before them,” she warned.
Madam Ofori Antwi noted that despite the critical role sanitation companies play in protecting public health and the environment, their contributions are often overlooked.
“Companies realise it is a business opportunity and invest so many resources to improve the situation, yet Ghanaians don’t understand and see what is happening,” she said.
She explained that waste management requires significant investment in specialised equipment and infrastructure, adding that many operators are bearing huge maintenance costs.
“Private sector people put so many resources into the sector. When you use specialised equipment, you can go and look at compactors that leachate has destroyed because the refuse is poisonous,” she stated.
She noted she came to appreciate the importance of sanitation after witnessing firsthand the consequences of poor waste and sanitation management.
“When I started this job, I didn’t understand why people were dumping refuse indiscriminately until I went to stay in a neighbourhood where people engaged in open defecation. Even behind my house, I was seeing faeces. That was when I appreciated why government has to support households to build toilets,” she recounted.
“Until you are faced with the real situation and understand what is happening, you will not appreciate sanitation. You will not appreciate the sector as we speak,” she added.
Madam Ofori Antwi stressed that waste management should be treated as a scientific and economic activity rather than merely a sanitation exercise.
“Waste management is a science. We collect, we treat, we haulage, and it should even start with segregation at home,” she explained.
She noted that much of the waste generated in Ghana could be recycled, reused or converted into useful products under a circular economy model.
“We can promote the circular economy where you can get very good products from household waste. Waste should not simply be dumped,” she said.
The ESPA Executive Secretary therefore called on government to prioritise the sanitation sector and work closely with service providers to ensure its sustainability.
“Government should prioritise sanitation. Sit with existing service providers and let’s see how we can support the sector,” she urged.
She also called for stronger regulation and long-term planning rather than what she described as reactive interventions.
“We always wait until there is a problem before looking for firefighting solutions, which shouldn’t be the case,” she said.
“We need to regularise the sector, look at it critically and do the right thing to sustain the gains that we have made.”
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