The Executive Chairman of Jospong Group of Companies, Joseph Siaw Agyapong, has dispelled as sheer mischief reports that government has cancelled a $74m contract awarded to his company to supply waste bins.
He said government did not have money to pay his company as far as that contract was concerned.
He was responding to questions over the contract abrogation as a press soiree in Accra last Thursday.
According to Dr. Agyapong, government did not have money to pay and that there was no mischief in the whole deal, adding that “We had an agreement with government that we will not supply if they cannot pay. Government didn’t have money to pay, not that it was terminated-the contract elapsed by itself over the two year, if it was terminated, it could have been terminated in 2017-no, because the contract was still valid.”
He also averred that Jospong Group did not supply the bins because government did not have money till the natural elapsing of the contract.
According to Mr. Siaw Agyapong, they reached out to Ecobank with a proposal, which provided US$10m to enable the company kick-start the dustbin business on a commercial basis.
“Now we have Ecobank, we are doing it, you pay me service, I get money, so I lost nothing, no contract was terminated or cancelled, it is a mischief and it is just to tarnish the company’s image,” he said.
He also revealed that Zoomlion Ghana Limited will commence one of its flagship programmes for the year, the “One Household One Bin” project today, Monday, January 14, 2019.
The project, he said, is aimed at encouraging proper storage and collection of solid waste in the country.
Under the project, one million waste bins would be distributed to households and individuals across the country.
He also said the company will collaborate with the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to ensure that all households benefit from the Programme to improve the sanitation situation in the country.
He said apart from the MMDAs, public health departments, sub-metros, town and zonal councils will also serve as an intermediate point of contact with the community.
He added that National Service personnel and people under the Nation Builders Corps (NABCO) programme among others, will serve as the main implementers of the project.
Mr. Agyapong said efforts were being put in place to ensure that Accra and for that matter, Ghana becomes one of the cleanest country in the sub-region to give meaning to the President vision of making Ghana the cleanest country.
He said the partnership with Zoomlion will therefore go a long way to help the assemblies to achieve that goal and ensure that the sanitation bye-laws of the assemblies were adhered to.
