President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has commissioned an Integrated Recycling and Compost Plant in Damongo in the Savannah Region to deal with the perennial problem of waste collection and disposal.
President Akufo-Addo on 31st October 2020 broke ground for work to begin on the construction of the Damongo Plant, a project undertaken by the Jospong Group of Companies, in partnership with the government to help find a permanent solution to waste management in the country.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony on Wednesday, the President said one of the major problems Ghana was confronted with was waste collection and waste disposal.
President Akufo-Addo indicated that waste management had been a perennial problem for the country, “but, fortunately, for me, in my time, I came across a man who was prepared to partner with the government to deal with the question of waste disposal in our country.”
“And it has been one of the highlights of my government,” the President stated, adding that the partnership between the government and Jospong Group of Companies had been fruitful and complementary.
The Executive Chairman of Jospong Group, Joseph Siaw Agyepong, stated that the plant was set up to receive, sort, process and recycle Municipal solid waste to produce organic compost for agronomic purposes in the sub-region.
He explained that the plant had medical waste treatment facility to treat and safely dispose of medical waste and “other recoverable materials of the recycling process which include plastics and metal scraps will serve as input materials for the steel and plastic manufacturing sectors.”
Mr Siaw Agyapong said current global events pointed to the President’s visionary leadership, adding: “when you supported the establishment of a compost plant, which can produce fertilizer, little did we know that there will be a Russia-Ukrainian war.”
He said truly, the war has had serious consequences on fertilizer imports. “The capacity to foresee problems and respond to them with the boldness of vision is the mark of a good leader like President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.”
Mr Siaw Agyapong said it was in that regard that the country has to appreciate the President’s visionary leadership, passion and dedication to the environmental and sanitation sector and the private sector development,
That, he said, had positioned Ghana ahead of most developing countries when it comes to innovation and the creation of solutions to deal with sanitation challenges.
On the progress of work in the other regions in the Northern sector of the country, he said the sites situated in Tamale, Nalerigu, Wa and Bolga have reached advanced stages of construction and setup.
“Mr President, in Nalerigu, the plants have been fully installed and undergoing finishing works to make it complete as being witnessed here today. In the Upper West Region, Wa, the construction has been completed and awaiting installation of machinery.”
Rex Mainoo Yeboah, ISD
