Manasseh Azure Awuni petitions President Mahama to end YEA-Zoomlion contract

Investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni has petitioned President John Dramani Mahama. He wants to end the long-standing contract between the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) and Zoomlion Ghana Limited.

This contract has lasted for 19 years. It has faced scrutiny over financial mismanagement and unfair wages.

Concerns have been raised about wage allocation. Under the previous contract, each sweeper received GHS850 monthly. However, Zoomlion kept GHS600, leaving only GHS250 for workers. Awuni's petition notes that Zoomlion charged interest on delayed payments, totaling GHS90 million in 2024.

Zoomlion recently shared a new proposal with YEA. This proposal aims to increase the allocation per sweeper to GHS1,308. Of this amount, GHS888 would go to Zoomlion and GHS420 to workers. Critics argue this structure still favors the company over sanitation workers.

Awuni's petition also highlights a lack of verifiable data on sweepers employed under the contract. Zoomlion claims it manages 45,000 sweepers. However, a YEA headcount in 2018 found only 38,884 workers. Despite this discrepancy, Zoomlion bills the state for 45,000 workers each month.

In 2022, the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) reported many sweepers had stopped working. Still, Zoomlion continued receiving payments for all workers.

Former YEA CEO Kofi Baah Agyepong recommended terminating the contract earlier. He argued that YEA could manage sweepers directly like other employment modules.

Awuni’s petition urges President Mahama to end the contract with Zoomlion. He believes municipal assemblies and YEA should directly supervise sanitation workers instead.

He argues that removing Zoomlion as a middleman would improve wages and working conditions for sweepers. While he acknowledges Zoomlion's role in refuse collection under the sanitation improvement package (SIP), he suggests assemblies could maintain this contract separately.

Awuni is confident President Mahama will take action against the YEA-Zoomlion contract. He cites past efforts to combat corruption in this sector as evidence of potential change.