President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo yesterday inaugurated a $95-million state-of-the-art composting and recycling plant in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.
“It is a manifestation of my government’s encouragement of the private sector in the provision of critical infrastructure in the area of management of solid waste..Indeed this facility is a state-of-the-art waste management facility,” the President affirmed.
According to him, ensuring sustainable waste management required a strong partnership between government and the private sector.
The plant, built by Zoomlion Ghana Limited, with its European partner, Komptech, is a 1200-tonne facility that would employ the most modern technology to recycle organic, plastic and other waste into usable raw materials to feed agricultural and other industries.
It has facilities including Administration block, Composting Tunnels, Sorting Plants, Receiving Bay, Power House among others.
The Kumasi compost plant brings to 7 out of the 16 recycling and compost plants the company is constructing in all the regions.
With the exception of the completion of the Accra and Kumasi recycling and compost plants, work has already started on the plants in Western, Western North, Ahafo, Bono and Bono East, located at Adagya, it is expected to create 800 direct and 1500 indirect jobs respectively.
President Akufo-Addo used the occasion to commend Otumfuo Osei Tutu II for making available a 150-acre tract land for the project.
He equally commended Jospong Group of Companies for building the biggest composting and recycling plant in the whole of Africa in Kumasi.
The Executive Chairman of the Jospong Group of Companies, who is also the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Zoomlion Ghana Limited, Mr Joseph Siaw Adjepong, said the plant, which was one of the biggest in Africa, has the capacity to process 1200 metric tonnes of solid waste and 1000 cubic metres of liquid waste a day.
This, he said, meant that the facility had the capacity to meet all the waste management needs of the people of Kumasi as well as adjoining communities.
He disclosed that when completed, the plant would offer 800 direct 1500 indirect jobs respectively to the people in the region.
He was full of praise for Otumfuo Osei Tutu II for making available a 150-acre tract of land for the project.
“I am happy to announce that 90% of the workers who helped in the construction of the $95 million composting and recycling plant were Ghanaians,” he said.
The Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources, Madam Cecilia Abena Dapaah, called for attitudinal change.
The Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr Simon Osei Mensah, for his part, said the plant will go a long way to address waste management in the region.
The event was grace by the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.