Waste Management: Mahama Ayariga Gives MMDCEs 30 Days to Secure Land for Transfer Stations

The government has given Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) a 30-day deadline to identify and submit suitable sites for the construction of waste transfer stations as part of efforts to overhaul Ghana’s waste management system.

Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mahama Ayariga, said the Accra Metropolitan Assembly and other metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies had been directed to identify sites of at least one acre for the facilities.

According to Mr Ayariga, the proposed transfer stations will form part of an integrated waste management system covering waste collection, transfer, disposal and recycling.

He announced the directive on Saturday, October 3, during the National Sanitation Day exercise at Rawlings Park in Accra, held to mark World Cleanup Day 2026.

Mr Ayariga said the initiative was being implemented in line with President John Dramani Mahama’s directive to improve waste management from the household level.

Under the proposed system, households will be provided with two waste bins to enable residents to separate organic waste from other solid waste at source.

The Minister also disclosed plans to replace open-bucket tricycles, popularly known as “Aboboyaa”, with self-loading and self-tipping waste vehicles to improve the transportation of refuse.

He said the new system would also support young people engaged in waste collection while improving efficiency and safety across the waste management chain.

Mr Ayariga explained that the initiative was intended to address existing gaps in waste collection and disposal, noting that residents often resort to improper disposal when appropriate waste facilities are unavailable or located too far from their homes and workplaces.

Metropolitan Chief Executives in Greater Accra, Kumasi, Sekondi-Takoradi and other regional capitals have consequently been tasked with identifying suitable locations for waste transfer stations.

Assemblies in major urban areas have also been directed to identify land for properly engineered landfill facilities.

Mr Ayariga acknowledged that the programme would require significant government investment but said improved sanitation could generate broader economic and public health benefits through cleaner communities, reduced healthcare costs and a more attractive environment for visitors.

The Mayor of Accra, Michael Kpakpo Allotey, urged traders and residents to make cleanliness a daily responsibility rather than limiting sanitation efforts to National Sanitation Day activities.

A representative of the Ga Mantse, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, similarly called for sustained commitment from residents and traders to maintaining clean communities beyond organised clean-up exercises.