By Philip Antoh
The Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs has unveiled plans to formalize waste transfer stations and integrate tricycle waste collectors into Ghana’s long-term sanitation strategy.
The announcement follows a working visit to waste management facilities in the Greater Accra Region, including the Integrated Recycling and Compost Plant (IRECOP) at Jamestown.
According to the Minister, five of the capital’s six designated transfer stations—located in Abokobi, Teshie, Achimota, Ashaiman, and Jamestown—are now operational.
This follows a directive by President John Dramani Mahama to clear accumulated refuse generated during recent nationwide sanitation exercises.
To speed up the emergency clearance, administrative hurdles, such as waste-weighing charges at transfer station gates, were temporarily waived.
The Malam transfer station remains the only non-operational facility due to a lack of an access road; a problem National Security and the 48 Engineer Regiment of the Ghana Armed Forces have been tasked to fix.
To address severe congestion at the Jamestown facility—which processes waste from about 800 of the 4,000 daily tricycles in Accra and is located near the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital—a 24-hour operational schedule has been introduced.
Tricycle operators now offload waste during the day, while articulated trucks transport the compacted refuse to landfills in the Eastern Region at night, ensuring clear routes for ambulances.
The Minister credited the public-private partnership model for the recent improvements, specifically noting that the Jospong Group of Company provided critical hauling equipment and logistical support during the emergency response.
Looking ahead, the Ministry announced a framework to regulate and bring the city’s informal tricycle waste collectors into the formal national sanitation system, recognizing their vital role in accessing densely populated areas.
The government also plans to engage the Council of State’s Sub-Committee on Sanitation and secure Cabinet and Ministry of Finance approval to fund engineered landfill sites and modern waste processing infrastructure.