The Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Hon. Ibrahim Ahmed has designated Zoomlion’s expansion across Africa as the third wave of Ghana. In a presentation at the climax of the Jospong Annual Thanksgiving Service, he placed Zoomlion and Jospong Group’s growth in a historic context, saying, “The first wave was Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s liberation efforts across the continent.
“The second wave was when Ghanaian Black Stars conquered African football, and the third wave is Zoomlion’s expansion across Africa which has become another historic symbol of Ghana’s global influence.”
Speaking as the Guest of Honour at the climax on Friday, December 12, 2025, the Minister further noted that, government has expressed its readiness to deepen collaboration with Zoomlion Ghana Limited to make environmental cleanliness, climate resilience, innovation, and sustainable job creation an everyday reality for Ghanaians.
“The government is ready to deepen its partnership with Zoomlion Ghana Limited and by extension the Jospong Group’s subsidiaries to drive a Ghana where cleanliness, resilience and innovation and job creation become everyday reality and not a distant aspiration,” Mr. Ibrahim declared.
He noted that this partnership was strategic, as Zoomlion’s work was essential to key national goals: improving local services, creating sustainable jobs for young people, safeguarding environmental health, strengthening decentralisation, and ensuring sustainable development.
He affirmed the government’s commitment to “deepen this partnership with the Jospong Group and Zoomlion,” highlighting the critical role of the private sector in national development, particularly in environmental sanitation and waste management.
A Partnership with Proven Results
Mr. Ibrahim highlighted that the existing public-private partnership was a model of success, noting that during an official sanitation benchmarking trip to South Korea, “only two African countries impressed the Koreans: Ghana and Morocco.”
He attributed this recognition to the “36 completed composting, recycling, and waste treatment plants, the largest sanitation infrastructure in West Africa,” developed through the collaboration under Zoomlion’s scope.
He revealed that Zoomlion’s waste management infrastructure was pivotal in the United Nations adjudging Ghana as the “Sanitation and Waste Management Hub for West Africa” in 2025.
From Jamestown to a Continental Giant
Tracing Zoomlion and the Group’s humble beginnings, the minister noted its expansion from “a small office at Jamestown” to a conglomerate operating in over 14 sectors with 78 subsidiaries across more than 24 African countries.
“Tell me, which other Ghanaian company commands presence in 25 African countries? None,” he stated, calling the feat “historical, inspirational, and a testament to Ghanaian excellence.”
He emphasised the indispensability of the Zoomlion’s work to national development, stating, “As a nation, we cannot discuss environmental sanitation, waste management, public health, the green economy or modern local governance without acknowledging the remarkable contribution of the Jospong Group and Zoomlion.”
The pledge reinforces the symbiotic relationship acknowledged earlier by Jospong Group’s Executive Chairman, Dr. Joseph Siaw Agyepong, who cited consistent government support as a cornerstone of the company’s divine-guided success.
In a welcome address, Dr. Siaw Agyepong, attributed the conglomerate’s remarkable growth from a single printing press to a multi-national industrial leader to divine providence and consistent national support.
He reflected on the Group’s evolution, stating, “Thus far has the Lord helped us.”
He detailed the scale of their flagship environmental arm, Zoomlion, revealing it now operates “36 functional plants spanning solid waste, liquid waste and medical waste treatment,” making Ghana a “centre of industrial excellence on the African continent.”
The Group’s footprint, which began at the Jospong Printing Press in Jamestown in 1995, he stated, now extends across “more than 25 African countries including Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Ethiopia, Tanzania, The Gambia and Gabon and many more.”
Dr. Siaw Agyepong indicated that “Truly, this is the doing of the Lord, and it is marvellous in our eyes.”
Acknowledging pivotal governmental support, he paid tribute to late President Jerry John Rawlings, who visited Zoomlion facilities “even on his birthday,” late President Prof. John Evans Fiifi Atta Millis, former Presidents John Agyekum Kufuor and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
He recalled the early days of meeting the then-President (Mr. Kufuor) noting, “I was frightened.”
He also expressed profound gratitude to H.E President John Dramani Mahama and First Lady, Lordina Mahama, for their immense support for his Group.
Dr. Siaw Agyepong concluded that the company’s success was not merely a result of strategy but a “manifestation of divine covenant, revelation and mystery,” framing the group’s story as a national testimony of what is possible with vision and enablement.