President Mahama responds to Manasseh Awuni's petition on YEA-Zoomlion contract

The Office of the President has officially acknowledged receipt of a petition calling for the discontinuation of the expired contract between the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) and waste management firm Zoomlion Ghana Limited.

In a letter dated April 27, 2025, freelance investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni petitioned the presidency over what he described as concerns regarding the continued engagement of Zoomlion under an expired contract with the YEA.

Responding on behalf of the presidency, Dr. Callistus Mahama, Secretary to the President, confirmed that the matter is receiving the necessary attention.

“This is to inform you that the matter is being given the necessary attention, and the outcome will be communicated to you in due course,” the letter stated.

While the presidency has yet to announce any definitive action, the response signals official acknowledgment of public concerns surrounding the agreement.

Zoomlion’s long-standing contract with the YEA has previously faced public scrutiny over issues of value for money and transparency.

Meanwhile, some past CEOs of the YEA have, at various times, raised concerns over the contract.

The immediate past CEO of the YEA, Kofi Baah Agyepong, told the YEA board that the contract with Zoomlion should be cancelled, as the YEA was capable of running the sweepers’ module without a third-party company, just as it runs other modules. In all the modules, the YEA pays all its beneficiaries more than the sweepers, whose payment is routed through Zoomlion.

Manasseh Awuni proposed to the President that the contract be discontinued so that the assemblies and the YEA can supervise the sweepers.

In this way, the assemblies can have direct control of the sweepers, who are paid with the assemblies’ share of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF).

If Zoomlion is eliminated as the middleman, the sweepers will enjoy better wages and be motivated to show up and work to keep the nation clean.