Ghana's emergency waste evacuation at Agbogbloshie has entered its fifth day, with the Army engineers and Zoomlion crews working to clear decades of refuse from the site. However, Minister Mahama Ayariga says that traffic congestion is significantly hindering their efforts. The heavy-duty excavators and compactors brought in to speed up the clean-up are being slowed down by Accra's notorious traffic.
The current push, described as a National Emergency Waste Evacuation Exercise, is being carried out across Agbogbloshie, Old Fadama, Abbosey Okai, and Jamestown. The exercise brings together the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), Zoomlion, the District Road Improvement Programme (DRIP), and the Army's 48 Engineers Regiment. This coordinated effort aims to clear the accumulated waste and improve sanitation for Agbogbloshie and nearby communities.
Minister Mahama Ayariga toured the site on an inspection visit, meeting with AMA Mayor Michael Kpakpo Allotey, officials from Zoomlion, coordinators from DRIP, machine operators, and representatives of the 48 Engineers Regiment. During the visit, Ayariga was briefed on two main bottlenecks: a large backlog of waste piling up at the transfer station and traffic jams restricting the movement of heavy equipment.
To address the congestion, Ayariga intends to engage the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) to find practical ways to ease delays and give equipment operators longer stretches of uninterrupted work. He commended the various teams for their efforts so far and expressed his expectation that the coordinated operation will eventually clear the accumulated waste.
The clean-up exercise is part of a broader plan to redevelop the notorious e-waste site into a textile hub. Ghana previously set out plans to remove an estimated one million tonnes of waste from Agbogbloshie within 90 days. However, questions remained about where all that refuse would ultimately go.
Agbogbloshie has long been one of the most congested and heavily polluted commercial and residential zones in Accra. Residents and traders have had to live alongside mounting refuse for years. If traffic delays continue to hamper the current evacuation, it could mean a longer timeline before residents see visible improvements in sanitation.
The Ministry's next step is to engage the MTTD on traffic management measures, although officials have not specified when these discussions will take place or what changes might follow. The successful completion of the clean-up exercise will depend on finding effective solutions to the traffic congestion and ensuring the continued collaboration of the various teams involved.
Key points
- Traffic congestion is significantly hindering the efforts of Army engineers and Zoomlion crews to clear waste from Agbogbloshie.
- The clean-up exercise aims to clear accumulated waste and improve sanitation for Agbogbloshie and nearby communities.
- The Ministry plans to engage the Motor Traffic and Transport Department to find practical ways to ease traffic delays.
