The newly appointed Minister for Local Government, has called for a comprehensive overhaul of Ghana’s waste management system to improve the collection, transportation, treatment and disposal of waste across the country.
Mr Ayariga made the call on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, during a tour of major waste management facilities in the Greater Accra Region.
The facilities visited included the Accra Compost and Recycling Plant (ACARP), Achimota Waste Transfer Station, Jamestown Waste Transfer Station and the Kpone landfill site. The ACARP and the two transfer stations are subsidiaries of the Jospong Group of Companies.
The tour, which also involved officials of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA), formed part of the minister’s initial engagements to identify weaknesses in Ghana’s waste management chain and explore potential investments to strengthen sanitation infrastructure.
Mr Ayariga was accompanied by the Mayor of Accra, Michael Allotey, officials of the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, representatives of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) and other officials.
Speaking after the tour, the minister said his observations had highlighted significant weaknesses across the waste management system.
“I decided to wake up early this morning with some of our prospective partners and my team from the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs to go around the city and see how our waste is being managed,” he said.
“There are clearly a lot of gaps in terms of the systems that we have for collecting and managing waste,” he added.
According to Mr Ayariga, some of the challenges start at the household level, where different forms of waste are often mixed instead of being separated at the point of generation.
He said the government would need to introduce measures to encourage households to segregate waste and provide appropriate bins and receptacles.
“From the homes where the waste is generated, we don’t separate them. We must put in place a system for separating it right from the homes,” Mr Ayariga said.
“We must have receptacles and waste bins so that it is easier to convey the waste from there,” he added.
The minister also called for changes to the transportation system, arguing that waste transfer stations should be situated closer to communities to reduce the distances covered by collection trucks.
“We must overhaul the system of transporting the waste to the transfer stations. We must bring the transfer stations closer to our communities. And then we must bring the treatment centres and the composting centres also closer to our cities,” he said.
Mr Ayariga said Ghana already had access to much of the technology and infrastructure required to improve waste management, but stressed that better organisation remained a major challenge.
“The infrastructure, the technology to do all this is available. A lot of it is organisational,” he said.
He explained that the facility tour would also help the government gather information needed to develop plans for attracting investment into the sector.
Mr Ayariga said he toured the facilities alongside BADEA’s Vice President for Operations and Secretary General, Dr Fatima Elsheikh, to explore possible financing opportunities for waste management infrastructure.
“This will serve as the basis for planning and seeking investment,” he said.
The minister said government intended to mobilise resources to improve every stage of the waste management chain, from collection and transportation to treatment and recycling.
He noted that the challenges identified in Accra were not unique to the capital and were likely to be present in other major cities across Ghana.
“What we’ve seen here, I believe, is just a microcosm of the infrastructure across the country. It’s not any different if you go to Kumasi or you go to Takoradi or any other major city. It’s the same thing that you will see,” he said.
Mr Ayariga also appealed to residents to contribute towards the cost of managing the waste they generate, citing the polluter-pays principle.
“I believe in the principle of the polluter pays. If you pollute, you pay for the management of the pollution,” he said.
“Every property must pay its fair share of the cost of managing the waste,” he stressed.
However, he assured households that government would work to make waste management more efficient and reduce the financial burden on residents.
He attributed the high cost of waste collection partly to inefficiencies in the current system, including the long distances travelled by waste trucks and the high operational expenses incurred by private waste management companies.
“If we organise it well, we could reduce the cost per household of waste management by even 50 percent,” he said.
“The reason why it is so high…is because the system is not being efficiently managed,” he added.
The minister further pledged that government would ensure transparency and accountability in the management of funds invested in the sector.
“We promise to be accountable. We promise to be efficient. We promise to be transparent, so that you see exactly how your resources are being used,” he said.
For her part, Dr Fatima Elsheikh said she was impressed by the government’s commitment to transforming waste management in Ghana.
She said waste should not be considered solely an environmental problem, arguing that the sector also presents opportunities for job creation, improved livelihoods and economic growth.
“I think what I saw today is inspiring. Waste is not about actual waste. It’s actually about employment opportunities that it gives to people, livelihood,” she said.
Dr Elsheikh also said improving cleanliness in Accra would enhance the city’s appeal as a major business and economic centre on the continent.
“Accra is not the capital of Ghana only. It’s one of the hubs of Africa,” she said.
She expressed BADEA’s readiness to support Ghana’s efforts to reform the waste management sector.
“We’ll be happy to contribute as a development bank,” she said, adding that the bank was prepared to work with the government towards establishing a more sustainable and efficient waste management system.
By: Prince Martey-Sogar