President John Dramani Mahama has announced that the long-standing contract between the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) and Zoomlion Ghana Limited will not be renewed. The 19-year-old deal, criticized for corruption and inefficiency, will officially end, thanks in part to a petition filed by investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni.
In a letter dated June 11, 2025, and signed by Secretary to the President, Dr. Callistus Mahama, the presidency confirmed that:
- The YEA-Zoomlion contract has expired and will not be renewed.
- Future sanitation contracts will go through competitive bidding at the regional or district level, not sole-sourced nationally.
- Payments to Zoomlion after the contract expired will be audited, and any illegal payments will be recovered.
- The government plans to increase the pay of sweepers, using the savings from cutting out Zoomlion’s role.
- Underperforming fumigation contracts will be reviewed or cancelled.
This move follows a detailed petition by Manasseh Azure Awuni in April 2025. He cited Zoomlion’s alleged misuse of public funds, inflated sweeper numbers, and poor oversight.
According to Manasseh’s investigation, Zoomlion was taking GHS600 out of GHS850 meant for each sweeper, leaving the workers with only GHS250 per month. Zoomlion also charged the state GHS90 million in interest when YEA delayed payments in 2024.
Zoomlion recently proposed a new contract that would increase their take to GHS888 per sweeper, leaving GHS420 for the workers. The YEA, however, could not verify Zoomlion’s claimed 45,000 sweepers. A 2018 headcount showed only 38,884 active workers.
Former YEA CEO Kofi Baah Agyepong and others have long argued that the YEA can manage the sweeper program directly, without middlemen like Zoomlion.
President Mahama’s decision has been welcomed by Manasseh, who described the development as “one of the best pieces of news” in his journalism career. He plans to release a formal statement in response.
The government now intends to give local assemblies more control over sanitation workers, who are paid from the District Assemblies Common Fund. This, Manasseh argues, will ensure better pay, stronger oversight, and cleaner cities.
