War on Waste: Government Targets Decades-Old Jamestown Dumpsite for Total Clearance
The Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy, and Religious Affairs, Hon. Mahama Ayariga, has announced a massive multi-agency plan to evacuate a decades-old refuse dumpsite in Jamestown, near Korle-Bu in the Greater Accra Region, paving the way for the total redevelopment of the area.
Speaking during an official assessment tour alongside ministry officials and development partners, the Minister outlined an ambitious strategy to clear the environmental hazard and transform the Agbogbloshie slum without displacing its resident population.
Going for the Root Cause
Reflecting on the scale of the challenge after inspecting the site, Hon. Ayariga emphasised the urgent need for a direct and aggressive approach to Accra’s long-standing sanitation crisis.
“We drive by, we really have no sense of the enormity of the challenge, and standing here you can see how high we are above ground level,” Hon. Ayariga said. “That gives you an indication of what has piled up, and this, I believe, has piled up for more than 50 years. I always go for the root cause of a problem—I call it going for the jugular vein. If you go for the jugular vein, you defeat the problem.”
He explained that taking on such massive heaps of waste sets an undeniable standard for national sanitation discipline. “If we as a state can clear mountains of heaps like this, I don’t think any citizen can give us an explanation why he or she is not clearing the waste in front of their homes, shops, and offices,” he noted.
Scientific Planning and Resource Mobilisation
To ensure an efficient operation, the government has partnered with technical experts from Zoomlion to fly drones over the site to accurately calculate the total volume of accumulated waste. This data will guide logistics, fleet distribution, and execution timelines before the official launch, which will be led personally by the President upon his return from international assignments.
The initiative will draw heavy equipment from multiple sources, including over 100 trucks and 16 excavators from the District Assemblies Improvement Programme (DRIP), heavy machinery from private construction firms on off-peak weekends, and contributions from major mining and corporate partners through Corporate Social Responsibility.
The entire haulage operation to the designated landfill site will be supervised by the military, led by Colonel Asia under the direction of the Chief of Defence Staff, with specific road lanes along the route designated for waste transport to prevent civilian traffic congestion.
Humane Redevelopment and Vertical Living Spaces
Addressing concerns regarding the potential displacement of residents, Hon. Ayariga firmly rejected mass evictions, advocating instead for a modern, high-rise urban renewal model designed to preserve community ties while drastically improving living standards.
“When I say redevelop, I don’t mean we will sack the people,” Hon. Ayariga assured. “These are people who are providing services in the city, and it is convenient for them to live close to where they provide the service. I’m not a believer in moving them out. What the state should do is redevelop it into high-rise livable spaces.”
Illustrating the vision for vertical housing, the Minister explained how modular architecture could dramatically reduce the land footprint while upholding international human rights standards.
“If you have 1,000 containers placed on one another with doors, windows, internal panelling, and welded staircases, you can accommodate this entire population in less than 10 per cent of the land,” he stated. “I am a human rights person myself, so I know the principles governing how to manage slum communities. I will be the last person to approach them with an inhumane face; I will treat them as brothers and sisters who have come to Accra to make a living.”
The government plans to collaborate with the Ministry of Finance, the private sector, and international development partners to fund the structural transformation, convert cleared spaces into modern economic zones, and establish sustainable public infrastructure for the area.
Source: Felix Nyaaba/expressnewsghana.com
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