The Environmental Service Providers Association (ESPA) has sounded a public alarm on the impending collapse of Ghana’s waste management system, warning that immediate government intervention is essential to avert a national sanitation and public health emergency.
Addressing a news conference in Accra on Wednesday, October 29, 2025, the Executive Secretary of ESPA, Ama Ofori Antwi, stated that private service providers are on the verge of a sector-wide shutdown due to crippling financial pressure. She disclosed that service providers who have borrowed from banks, creditors, suppliers, and other partners to sustain operations over the years now find themselves in a position where such financial support has ceased, and in most cases, they have been threatened with legal action.
Antwi issued a warning, “If immediate government attention and intervention are not provided, these compounded challenges could cripple Ghana’s waste management system in a few days’ time, reversing years of progress made in keeping our cities clean and protecting public health and the environment.”
ESPA confirmed it has engaged extensively with the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy, and Religious Affairs, as well as relevant parliamentary committees, to facilitate the payment of arrears owed to its members. “Unfortunately,” she noted, “these efforts have yielded little progress.” Consequently, the Association is now imploring the government to, as a matter of urgency, expedite the release of all pending payments to ESPA members through the Ministry of Finance to avoid the threatened shutdown by November 7, 2025.
Beyond immediate payment, the Executive Secretary called for critical policy reviews to ensure the sector’s long-term sustainability. She demanded a policy review of the Sanitation and Pollution Levy (SPL) to establish it as a dedicated fund to support and sustain the existing waste management infrastructure. She stressed that the absence of a dedicated budgetary allocation for waste management over the years keeps the sector’s financial stability at risk, threatening service disruptions.
Furthermore, she urged that Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) review the current fixed cost recovery rates paid to waste collectors, transporters, and transfer station operators.Ama Antwi explained that the existing rates have become economically unsustainable, rendering operations unprofitable for many members. She concluded, “A fair and realistic adjustment is essential to ensure business viability and the continued provision of effective sanitation services across the country.”
While urging the government to act decisively on their concerns, Ama Ofori Antwi affirmed that ESPA fully supports President John Dramani Mahama’s recent re-launch of the National Sanitation Day.
ESPA is a coalition of private waste management companies in Ghana, committed to working in partnership with government and local authorities to promote efficient, sustainable, and inclusive environmental services.
Story: Eugenia Ewoenam Osei
