Accra: President John Dramani Mahama has announced that the contract between the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) and Zoomlion Ghana Limited has expired and will not be renewed. He stated that all payments made to Zoomlion following the contract’s expiration will undergo thorough auditing.
According to Ghana News Agency, President Mahama’s decision was communicated in a response letter titled ‘Re: Petition to discontinue the expired contract between the YEA and Zoomlion Ghana Limited,’ addressed to Mr. Manasseh Azure Awuni, a Freelance Investigative Journalist. The letter was signed by Dr. Callistus Mahama, Secretary to the President. Mr. Awuni had previously petitioned the President to end the 19-year-old contract. The last contract, which ended in September 2024, reportedly allocated GH?850 per sweeper, with GH?600 retained by Zoomlion and GH?250 paid to the sweepers monthly.
Mr. Awuni also claimed that Zoomlion charged interest if the YEA delayed payments for three months, leading to a charge of GHS90 million in 2024. Despite these charges, the company delayed paying sweepers for up to a year without proving the necessity to borrow funds for prefinancing the contract.
President Mahama emphasized that no further payments would be authorized without verification and that any unauthorized payments would be reclaimed. He mentioned that the Cabinet had directed future sanitation contracts to undergo a competitive procurement process, recommending regional or district-based tenders for private firms over national contracts.
The President highlighted that such a shift could lower costs through competitive pricing and foster innovation as companies strive to secure contracts based on service quality. A cabinet subcommittee will be tasked with developing the implementation modalities for this new approach.
In addition, President Mahama expressed the government’s intention to raise sweeper fees to a more ‘liveable’ income with the anticipated cost savings. He also stated that underperforming contracts would be reviewed and potentially terminated based on their terms and the Attorney-General’s advice.