Manasseh Azure fires back at Parliament’s Sanitation Committee over Zoomlion contract defense
Investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni has responded strongly to the Parliamentary Select Committee on Sanitation’s dismissal of his call for the cancellation of the sanitation contract between the Youth Employment Authority (YEA) and Zoomlion Ghana Limited.
In a detailed letter addressed to the Committee Chair, John Kwabena Bless Oti, and other members, Manasseh described some of their comments as factually inaccurate and misleading. He insisted that contrary to claims by the Committee, no jobs would be lost if the contract were terminated.
“The people are paid by the state, so they will just report to their district assemblies instead of Zoomlion,” Manasseh said. “In this case, they will earn more money if the middleman is eliminated.”
He criticised what he described as a blind defense of Zoomlion simply because it is a Ghanaian-owned company, noting that patriotism should not shield unethical practices from scrutiny.
“Supporting Ghanaian businesses doesn’t mean we should condone fraudulent and unconscionable conduct,” he stated, drawing parallels with historical examples of Ghanaians participating in the exploitation of their own people.
Manasseh also accused the Committee of failing to challenge Zoomlion CEO Joseph Siaw Agyepong over a “senseless argument” justifying the low wages paid to sanitation workers. He questioned the logic of paying GH¢600 in management fees to oversee work valued at only GH¢250 per person.
“Zoomlion makes about GH¢20 million a month, while the poor cleaners go home with practically nothing. Their daily earnings cannot buy wayside waakye,” he lamented, noting that the issue of underpayment and arrears has persisted for over a decade.
According to him, many cleaners have already stopped working due to delayed payments, yet the company continues to invoice the state, taking advantage of a system with weak oversight.
He also expressed disappointment that the Committee appears to have already formed an opinion before concluding its investigations.
“You stated that your committee is still conducting research and will invite me, yet you are already passing judgment. I hope your committee will do a good job and not continue the tradition of being mouthpieces for Zoomlion and the Jospong Group.”
The journalist reminded the Committee that previous efforts by Parliament to investigate the matter — including a 2021 directive by Speaker Alban Bagbin — yielded no results, and he challenged them to break that cycle.
“This is not a fight against any individual or company. It’s a fight for fairness and value for money in the use of public funds,” he concluded.
