The Environmental Service Providers Association (ESPA) has raised alarm over the potential collapse of Ghana’s waste management system, warning that immediate government intervention is needed to avert a national sanitation and public health crisis.
Addressing a news conference in Accra on Wednesday, October 29, 2025, the Executive Secretary of ESPA, Madam Ama Ofori Antwi, said many service providers were on the verge of shutting down due to mounting financial pressure.
She explained that several waste management companies, which had borrowed from banks, suppliers, and other partners to sustain operations over the years, now find themselves unable to access further support and, in many cases, face threats of legal action from creditors.
“If immediate government attention and intervention are not provided, these compounded challenges could cripple Ghana’s waste management system in a few days, reversing years of progress made in keeping our cities clean and protecting public health and the environment,” she warned.
Madam Ofori Antwi noted that ESPA had engaged the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development and relevant parliamentary committees to facilitate payments to members. Unfortunately, she said, those efforts have yielded little progress.
She therefore urged the government to expedite the release of all outstanding payments through the Ministry of Finance by November 7, 2025, to avert a nationwide shutdown of services.
The ESPA Executive Secretary also called for a policy review of the Sanitation and Pollution Levy to make it a dedicated fund supporting and sustaining waste management infrastructure.
“There has been an absence of a dedicated budgetary allocation for waste management over the years. The sector’s financial sustainability, therefore, remains at risk, with the possibility of service disruptions if urgent attention is not given,” she stressed.
She further appealed to Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to review the current fixed cost recovery rates paid to waste collectors, transporters, and transfer station operators, describing the existing rates as economically unsustainable.
“A fair and realistic adjustment is essential to ensure business viability and the continued provision of effective sanitation services across the country,” she said.
While calling on the government to address their concerns with urgency, Madam Ofori Antwi reaffirmed ESPA’s support for President John Dramani Mahama’s re-launch of the National Sanitation Day, describing it as a step toward renewed national commitment to environmental cleanliness.
ESPA is a coalition of private waste management companies in Ghana that work in partnership with government and local authorities to promote efficient, sustainable, and inclusive environmental services nationwide.
Source: Myxyzonline.com
