By: Ashiadey Dotse
Investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni has sent a petition to President John Dramani Mahama, asking him to cancel a long-running contract between the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) and Zoomlion Ghana Limited.
Manasseh says the 19-year-old deal is unfair to sweepers and is costing the country too much money. According to him, under the last contract, which ended in September 2024, each sweeper was allocated GHS850 monthly. However, Zoomlion kept GHS600 and only paid GHS250 to the workers.
He added that Zoomlion charges the government interest when payments delay. In 2024 alone, the company claimed over GHS90 million in interest charges.
Manasseh said Zoomlion now wants the allocation per sweeper increased to GHS1,308. Out of this, the company would keep GHS888 and give each sweeper GHS420.
He also raised concerns about the actual number of sweepers Zoomlion claims to employ. While Zoomlion reports 45,000 workers, a YEA headcount in 2018 found only 38,884. He added that the agency has no proper data to verify the monthly claims.
In 2022, the Accra Metropolitan Assembly reported that many sweepers had stopped working, yet Zoomlion continued to bill the state for the full number. The former YEA CEO, Kofi Baah Agyepong, told the agency’s board that the contract should be ended. He said YEA could manage the sweepers directly, just as it does with other employment modules.
Manasseh recommended that local assemblies and the YEA should supervise the sweepers themselves and pay them directly from the District Assemblies Common Fund. This, he said, would lead to better pay and more accountability.
He noted that Zoomlion still has a separate deal—the Sanitation Improvement Package (SIP)—which pays for waste trucks to collect the refuse.
He suggested that this part of the contract could stay in place for now to avoid sanitation problems.
Manasseh reminded President Mahama of his past efforts to clean up the agency during the 2013 GYEEDA scandal, including cancelling corrupt contracts and prosecuting officials.
“I believe the President will act again. This is the only contract that survived after the GYEEDA investigations. It’s time to end it,” Manasseh said.
