The Chief Executive Officer of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), Malik Basintale, has firmly stated that he will not renew the current contract with waste management company, Zoomlion Ghana Limited.
In a Facebook post on Friday, April 25, 2025, Mr. Basintale criticized the terms of the contract, which has been in place for over seven years under the previous administration.
He expressed deep concern over the low wages paid to workers under the program, saying it is wrong for any Ghanaian youth to receive just GH₵250 for their hard work.
“All my life, I have fought for integrity and for the better placement of the youth and people of Ghana,” Mr. Basintale said. “If my own family member was being paid GH₵250, I would not be happy. So, how can I be okay with any Ghanaian youth receiving such low pay?”
According to him, the contract was continuously renewed by the previous government without changes that would benefit the workers. However, under the new leadership of President John Dramani Mahama, Mr. Basintale says change has come—and that change must be reflected in how Ghana’s youth are treated.
Standing by his late father’s grave, he pledged not to extend the agreement in its current form. “I promise on my honor that I shall not renew the contract in its current state or form. It is not fair, and I will stop it,” he declared.
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