Environmental Service Providers Association (ESPA) has given government a 7- day ultimatum to pay them all Arrears owed them failure of which it will embark on nationwide suspension of services.
Addressing a news conference in Accra on Wednesday, the Executive Secretary of ESPA Ama Ofori Antwi explained that government’s failure to pay them is collapsing their business, hence the only way forward would suspension of services.
Executive Secretary of ESPA Ama Ofori Antwi addressing the media.
“ESPA has engaged with the Ministry of Local Government Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, as well as relevant parliamentary committees, to facilitate payment to our members. Unfortunately, these efforts have yielded little progress. However, we call on the government to as a matter of urgency make payment to avoid shutdown by the 7th November, 2025.
We therefore appeal to the Government for the immediate release of outstanding payments owed to all waste management contractors by 7th November, 2025. Without this intervention, service providers may be forced to suspend operations nationwide, a move that could trigger a national sanitation and health emergency. This measure, if taken, would lead to the outbreak of disease such as cholera, typhoid, malaria.”, she emphasized.
According to her if immediate government attention and intervention are not provided, these compounded challenges could cripple Ghana’s waste management system, reversing years of progress made in keeping our cities clean and protecting public health and the environment.
Ghana’s waste management sector is faced with an alarming state of operational and financial distress of which members of ESPA are not left out. The waste collectors, transporters, and transfer station operators continue to grapple with unprofitable and unfair fee rates fixed by the Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs).
These rates do not reflect the real cost of service delivery, making their operations economically unsustainable. The situation has been further compounded by the lack of access to functional treatment and disposal sites, many of which are in deteriorated condition due to poor maintenance. As a result, waste collection and transportation activities have become highly inefficient, costly, and unprofitable for service providers, threatening the overall sustainability of Ghana’s waste management system.
The Executive Secretary commended President Mahama for his reset agenda on health and sanitation, appealing to him to pay them the arrears to avert the shutdown of services which she said may result to serious health challenges.
Below is the full statement issued at the Presser
PRESS RELEASE
From Environmental Service Providers Association (ESPA)
Accra, Ghana — October 29, 2025
Environmental Service Providers Call for Urgent Government Intervention to Safeguard Ghana’s Waste Management Services Infrastructure
- Introduction:
The Environmental Service Providers Association (ESPA) represents a coalition of private waste management companies in Ghana, working in partnership with government and local authorities to promote efficient, sustainable, and inclusive environmental services for all.
ESPA commends and fully supports His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama for the re-launch of National Sanitation Day on 5th September 2025, where the President publicly endorsed a comprehensive “Resetting Agenda” for sanitation in Ghana — pledging to eliminate insanitary conditions, prevent disease spread, halt environmental degradation, and overhaul waste management nationwide. Similarly, in June this year, the President gave a clarion call to MMDCEs at their orientation programme to be committed to important issues of sanitation, its funding to keep their cities, towns and communities clean.
We recognize the President’s speech as a strong demonstration of transformative leadership, policy continuity, and national renewal — reaffirming government’s unwavering commitment to a cleaner, healthier, and more sustainable Ghana. - Current State of waste management in Ghana
Ghana’s waste management sector is faced with an alarming state of operational and financial distress of which members of ESPA are not left out. The waste collectors, transporters, and transfer station operators continue to grapple with unprofitable and unfair fee rates fixed by the Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs).
These rates do not reflect the real cost of service delivery, making their operations economically unsustainable. The situation has been further compounded by the lack of access to functional treatment and disposal sites, many of which are in deteriorated condition due to poor maintenance. As a result, waste collection and transportation activities have become highly inefficient, costly, and unprofitable for service providers, threatening the overall sustainability of Ghana’s waste management system.
In addition, several critical waste management facilities, including landfill sites, solid waste treatment plants, transfer stations, and wastewater treatment facilities are struggling to stay functional under mounting financial pressure. Rising operational costs in fuel, electricity, labour, and maintenance, coupled with high energy tariffs, inadequate revenue inflows, high cost of capital, and long delays in service payments, have pushed the sector to the brink.
If immediate government attention and intervention are not provided, these compounded challenges could cripple Ghana’s waste management system, reversing years of progress made in keeping our cities clean and protecting public health and the environment. - Intensity of the Problem
Currently, service providers who have borrowed from banks, creditors, suppliers and other partners in order to sustain operations find themselves in the position where such support has seized, and in most cases been threatened with court action.
ESPA is therefore, calling for urgent government intervention to address the mounting operational and financial distress confronting our members. - Mounting Challenges
ESPA has engaged with the Ministry of Local Government Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, as well as relevant parliamentary committees, to facilitate payment to our members. Unfortunately, these efforts have yielded little progress. However, we call on the government to as a matter of urgency make payment to avoid shutdown by the 7th November, 2025.
We therefore appeal to the Government for the immediate release of outstanding payments owed to all waste management contractors by 7th November, 2025. Without this intervention, service providers may be forced to suspend operations nationwide, a move that could trigger a national sanitation and health emergency. This measure, if taken, would lead to the outbreak of disease such as cholera, typhoid, malaria, etc. - Call to Action:
We request that the government consider the following in addressing our needs:
Immediate Payments of Arrears: We urge the Ministry of Finance to expedite the release of pending payments to our members by the stipulated time.
Policy Review on Sanitation and Pollution Levy: Government should consider the review of the Sanitation and Pollution Levy as a dedicated fund to support and sustain the existing 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.
Review of Fixed Cost Recovery Rate by MMDAs: We call on the Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to review the current fixed cost recovery rates paid to waste collectors, transporters, and transfer station operators. The existing rates have become economically unsustainable, rendering operations unprofitable for many members. A fair and realistic adjustment is essential to ensure business viability and the continued provision of effective sanitation services across the country. - Conclusion:
We respectfully seek government intervention with the issues mentioned above. ESPA regrets to caution that several landfill and treatment facilities across the country may face imminent shutdown.
Such closures would disrupt waste collection services, threaten thousands of jobs, public health crisis and reverse Ghana’s hard-won progress in sanitation and environmental protection.
ESPA therefore calls on all relevant government agencies and partners to act decisively, not only to rescue the sector from collapse, but to safeguard public health, protect the environment, and preserve the legacy of Ghana’s waste management infrastructure.
Thank you.
Signed:
For and on behalf of the Environmental Service Providers Association (ESPA)
— END —
source:www.senaradioonline.com
