Ghana government to evacuate Jamestown waste and enforce polluter pays principle

The Ghanaian government has announced plans to evacuate accumulated waste from Jamestown in Accra to the Adipa Engineered Landfill in Nsawam. Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mahama Ayariga, disclosed the emergency strategy following inspections of various waste management facilities in the Greater Accra Region.

To facilitate the transfer, the government has coordinated with the Jospong Group of Companies, which confirmed that the Adipa landfill site is prepared to receive the waste. A technical assessment is being conducted to determine the logistics and total volume of waste requiring transport.

In a broader effort to reform the national sanitation system, Minister Ayariga announced the enforcement of the ‘polluter pays’ principle. This policy will require households, businesses, and factories to cover the costs of waste collection, transportation, and treatment. The Minister emphasized that public resources can no longer subsidize waste generated by private entities and called for a system overhaul that includes waste separation at the household level and the strategic placement of transfer and composting facilities closer to urban centers.