Investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni has pushed back against the Youth Employment Agency’s (YEA) indication that the controversial sanitation module contract with Zoomlion Ghana Limited will be reviewed, insisting that the arrangement must be scrapped altogether.
In a letter addressed to YEA CEO Malik Basintale and shared publicly on Friday, April 25, 2025, Manasseh described the contract—under which Zoomlion receives GH¢850 per sanitation worker and pays them only GH¢250—as “evil” and “unnecessary.”
“Thank you for the reassurance that the contract in its current form will not be renewed because it is evil. This is a good step,” Manasseh wrote.
“However, the issue is not about reviewing the contract or renewing it in another form. It must be discontinued completely.”
According to the award-winning journalist, the sanitation workers should be managed directly by the district assemblies, which are capable of supervising them without the involvement of a third-party contractor based in Accra.
“The Bongo District Assembly can supervise its sweepers without a contract being awarded in Accra to that effect,” he noted, arguing that removing the middleman would ensure that workers are paid directly and in full.
He cited the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) and the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) as examples of local governments that already hire and supervise their cleaners independently of Zoomlion.
“The AMA petitioned the YEA in 2022 to this effect,” Manasseh added.
He further pointed to documented evidence of corruption and mismanagement surrounding the sanitation module, referencing the GYEEDA Report of 2013 commissioned by then-President John Mahama.
“Look at page 131 of the GYEEDA report… Zoomlion is involved in too many shady deals,” he said.
Manasseh expressed his support for Malik Basintale’s leadership at the YEA but urged him to take a firm stance that would put national interest above entrenched arrangements.
“You have my support in fighting for the best for our country. I wish you well, my brother,” he concluded.
The sanitation contract between the YEA and Zoomlion has come under increasing scrutiny in recent weeks following calls for its termination, with critics describing it as exploitative and opaque.
