Accra: Mr. Solomon Noi-Adzeman Nuetey, Director of Waste Management at the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, has called for urgent reforms to Ghana's urban waste financing model, citing inequities and inefficiencies that left over half of Accra's waste uncollected.
According to Ghana News Agency, Mr. Nuetey explained that under the current arrangement, Metropolitan and Municipal Assemblies sign franchise agreements with private waste companies, who are then required to collect service fees directly from households. This arrangement has led private operators to prioritize high-income areas while neglecting low-income communities, resulting in widespread illegal dumping. In such neglected areas, residents resort to handing their waste to individuals who dispose of it improperly, contributing to the growing issue of uncollected waste.
Accra generates over 5,000 metric tonnes of waste daily, and Mr. Nuetey warned that if all waste were sent to a single site like the Adipa landfill in the Eastern Region, it would reach full capacity in less than a year. He stressed that the current system is not managing waste effectively and called for sustainable financing solutions. Recent findings by UN-Habitat and local authorities indicate that only 50% of Accra's waste is collected, largely due to unaffordable service fees and inadequate infrastructure.
To address this crisis, Mr. Nuetey proposed the creation of a national sanitation fund, similar to the National Health Insurance Scheme, to ensure consistent and equitable financing across communities. He suggested financing the fund through an eco-levy on manufactured and imported products, which would contribute to a central fund for infrastructure investment. Additionally, he recommended integrating waste management charges into utility bills and property rates to ensure a universal contribution.
Mr. Nuetey also advocated for inter-municipal cooperation, suggesting that several assemblies could combine resources to establish a single waste-to-energy plant, which would alleviate the burden on existing landfill sites. He highlighted the paradox of current tariffs being too high for low-income residents yet insufficient for sustaining service providers due to rising operational costs.
Without structural changes to financing and management, Mr. Nuetey warned that Accra's waste crisis would worsen, affecting public health, environmental safety, and the city's reputation. He emphasized the need for bold reforms, asserting that the problem is solvable but requires moving away from business-as-usual practices.
