Ghana government plans major waste evacuation in Accra

The Ghanaian government is preparing a large-scale emergency operation to evacuate massive waste accumulations from Jamestown and Agbogbloshie in Accra. Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mahama Ayariga, announced that the government is coordinating with the Ministries of Finance, Roads and Highways, and Defence to execute the removal.

To manage the logistics of the decades-old waste heaps, which Ayariga estimated to be as high as a 10-storey building, technical teams will utilize drones and artificial intelligence to map the sites and calculate waste volumes. The operation is expected to involve the Ghana Armed Forces, private contractors, and the Jospong Group of Companies.

The collected waste is slated to be transported to the Adipa engineered landfill facility located at Nsawam in the Eastern Region. The Minister noted that while the movement of heavy equipment and hundreds of trucks may cause temporary traffic disruptions, the operation is a national priority to address mounting sanitation issues in the capital.