Manasseh Azure Awuni’s newest outburst, captioned “Malik Basintale, Please, Don’t Push This Thievery!”, is yet another desperate attempt to tarnish Zoomlion Ghana Limited’s hard-earned name and its Executive Chairman, Dr. Joseph Siaw Agyepong. This sensationalist and deceptive story is not only unjust but also profoundly wrong and lacks the technical depth necessary in the complex and dynamic field of waste management.
To begin with, how can the Manasseh who insulted, disrespected, maligned, and lied against H. E. John Dramani Mahama in his first tenure on several grounds, including the Ford saga turn around and command his appointee not to renew a contract that has helped Ghana become the most sought-after country in Africa in terms of waste management infrastructure? And who is Manasseh to command Malik anyway? Is Manasseh more youthful than any of us or than Malik himself, who is the youth president? Manasseh is a disrespectful human being who thinks he can use his pen to run people he has targeted down. Today, countries such as Nigeria, Liberia, Kenya, Uganda, Angola, Gambia, and so many numbering about numbering about 18 countries, have engaged Zoomlion to replicate the waste infrastructure it has constructed in Ghana in their countries, and work is ongoing briskly.
If Manasseh has any shame he would bow down his head and sin no more. Is it not the same Manasseh who refused to comment on the defunct Capital Bank saga because his church elder or leader Dr. Mensah Otabil was involved as the board chairman and several millions of Ghana cedis went unaccounted for? Where was his gatekeeper principles?
Anyway let me not waste too much time on that I came to react to his lies and threats to Malik Basintaale and against Zoomlion Gahana a company i cherish with my heart.
1. Assemblies Lack the Capacity
Contrary to Manasseh’s assertions that the Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in Ghana can manage the waste more effectively, I state without any equivocation that the MMDAs currently lack the capacity, both in terms of logistics and skilled manpower, to manage waste efficiently. Most assemblies do not possess functional equipment such as compactor trucks, skip loaders, tricycles, or modern waste segregation and treatment infrastructure. Zoomlion, on the other hand, has built a national infrastructural backbone for waste collection, transportation, and processing through its IRECOPs, recycling plants, and composting facilities. No single assembly in Ghana can match that on any day.
Aside from the lack of capacity, Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) will be facing, significant challenges and may ultimately fail due to political interference. This is because, in most cases, party loyalists will be the ones assigned to execute the work, while Members of Parliament and Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), who are also affiliated with the ruling party, will be responsible for monitoring and ensuring the work is done. Realistically, would they be strict on their own party members and risk making the party unpopular?
2. Human Resource and Professionalism
Manasseh asserts that the MMDAs have more competent workers than Zoomlion, says who? Zoomlion’s district and regional staff are more than simply workers; many have master’s degrees in environmental science, engineering, or public health. They have received considerable trash management training both locally and internationally. Over 120 Ghanaian youngsters are now receiving training in Russia through scholarships provided by Zoomlion and its affiliates in fields such as waste-to-energy, environmental engineering, and climate-resilient sanitation. That is a long-term investment in Ghana’s future, yet you claim the assemblies have more competent personnel? Which school did they attend and where did they gain their experiences? I know that since 2006, waste management and environmental sanitation have been Zoomlion’s headache, with the exception of the MMDAs Environmental Health Officers, who work hand in hand with Zoomlion, so who are the more qualified personnel he refers to?
3. YEA Sweepers Are Just a Fraction
Sweepers employed by the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) account for only a small portion of Zoomlion’s national workforce. In reality, Zoomlion employs almost 7,200 people directly at its trash recycling plants alone. According to my source, the whole Jospong Group, which includes Zoomlion, employs more than 1,000,000 Ghanaians and other nationals. These are legitimate employment that are institutionalized, supervised, and linked to a larger ecosystem of environmental, economic, and social consequence. So, if you are campaigning for the company’s demise, know who is leaving and who you claim to be fighting for, even though I know you are working for your personal interests and satisfying your paymasters, rather than that of Ghanaian youth.
4. Documented Transformation
Manasseh conveniently omits any mention of Zoomlion’s transformative impact in Ghana’s sanitation and waste management sector. He fails to acknowledge:
•The establishment of the 16 IRECOPs across all regions, the wastewater treatment plants, the ACARP and KCARP, medical waste treatment plants dotted over the regions, totaling 36 plants aimed at reducing environmental pollution.
•The massive job creation drive which has absorbed thousands of otherwise unemployed youth.
•The National Material Recovery programme and recycling programs that are contributing to Ghana’s circular economy.
If Manasseh truly cares about journalistic balance, he should visit these facilities or request audited impact reports. But he has never written a single article that appreciates any aspect of this transformation. That, by definition, is not journalism; it is absolute vendetta, so he should spare us with his anthem of ‘I don’t hate Jospong’, who are your children here?
5. Claims of Ghost Workers Are Misleading
Claims of ghost workers or unverifiable numbers have been addressed repeatedly by the appropriate authorities. Payroll systems for sweepers have transitioned into biometric and digitized formats over the years. If specific anomalies existed in the past, they were systematically resolved. It is misleading to use isolated historical issues to discredit an entire nationwide operational framework.
6. The Real Agenda
Manasseh has made a name by attacking institutions, especially Zoomlion and its Executive Chairman. But let us ask: who benefits when a company that has invested over two decades into Ghana’s sanitation architecture is demonized? Who benefits when thousands of Ghanaian youth risk losing their jobs because of manipulated narratives? Is this journalism or sabotage?
7. Zoomlion’s Broader National Contribution
Beyond waste management, the Jospong Group is a significant contributor to Ghana’s economy. From insurance to ICT, from health to hospitality, the group’s footprint in job creation and national development is unmatched by any local conglomerate. Manasseh’s refusal to ever highlight these is evidence of bias, not oversight.
8. Call to Stakeholders
As a lover and advocate for the environment, I urge stakeholders, government officials, media, civil society, and the general public, to reject Manasseh’s one-sided accusations. Ghana’s sanitation success story must not be derailed by one man’s obsession with tarnishing a visionary leader and his institution. Constructive criticism is welcome, but libelous propaganda must be called out for what it is.
Conclusion
Ghana deserves better than manipulated narratives. It deserves factual reporting, balanced journalism, and patriotic support for home-grown solutions. Zoomlion Ghana Limited and its partners should continue to innovate, employ, and deliver for Ghana, regardless of the noises.
If at the end of the day Manasseh’s instruction or direct command to Malik Basintaale yields results, the entire government would have acted cluelessly like Manasseh himself and will be seen as a government that acts cowardly.
By Mashoud Bawa
