Manasseh Azure Awuni petitions Mahama over YEA-Zoomlion contract

Earlier this week, I asked President John Dramani Mahama to end the 19-year contract between the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) and Zoomlion Ghana Limited.

The previous contract expired in September 2024. Under this contract, GH¢850 was allocated for each sweeper. Zoomlion kept GH¢600 and paid sweepers only GH¢250 a month. If YEA delays payment for three months, Zoomlion charges interest. In 2024, this interest amounted to GH¢90 million.

Yesterday, Zoomlion announced that its latest proposal is “under discussion” at YEA. They want to increase the allocation per sweeper to GH¢1,308. In this new plan, Zoomlion would take GH¢888 and pay sweepers GH¢420 monthly.

YEA lacks data to confirm the 45,000 sweepers that Zoomlion claims are on payroll each month. In 2018, YEA raised concerns about this number. Their headcount showed only 38,884 active sweepers. The YEA CEO, Justin Kodua Frimpong, stated that Zoomlion did not provide payroll verification when requested.

In 2022, YEA could not provide data when the Accra Metropolitan Assembly complained about inactive sweepers. Despite this issue, Zoomlion continued billing for 45,000 workers every month.

Kofi Baah Agyepong, the former CEO of YEA, suggested cancelling the contract with Zoomlion. He believed YEA could manage the sweepers without a third-party company as it does with other modules.

I proposed to President Mahama that we end this contract so assemblies can directly supervise the sweepers. This would allow better control over payments using funds from the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF).

Eliminating Zoomlion as a middleman would improve wages for sweepers and motivate them to work effectively.

Zoomlion has another contract requiring all assemblies to lift refuse collected by YEA sweepers. This Sanitation Improvement Package (SIP) needs waste trucks that some assemblies lack due to budget deductions for paying Zoomlion.

I also suggested maintaining the SIP contract with Zoomlion while ending their role in managing sweepers to avoid sanitation issues.

When I investigated GYEEDA (now YEA) in 2013, President Mahama took significant actions against corruption then. He terminated contracts and prosecuted individuals involved in wrongdoing.

With my documentary evidence submitted with the petition, I believe President Mahama will terminate the Zoomlion contract. This is the only remaining YEA contract after my investigations in 2013 despite serious findings against Zoomlion.

I thank everyone who supports my campaign against corruption linked to the YEA-Zoomlion contract and seeks justice for poor sweepers. We hope President Mahama will act in favor of our nation and its workers.

Signed,
Manasseh Azure Awuni
Investigative Journalist
May 2, 2025