The  government has started the immediate evacuation of tonnes of waste built up along the Odaw River at Agbogbloshie.

The waste evacuated from the site is being sent to the Adepa Engineered Landfill site at Nsawam in the Eastern Region.

The exercise, which is being spearheaded by the Ministry of Local  Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, with support from the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), forms part of a comprehensive programme meant to rid the capital city of filth to prevent perennial flooding.

It would also pave the way for the construction of the Agbogbloshie Urban Renewal Project.

President John Dramani Mahama visited the site of the waste transfer site yesterday to signal the official start of the evacuation exercise.

Present at the event were the Ministers of Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson; Road and Highways, Governs Kwame Agbodza; Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mahama Ayariga; the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Linda Obenewaa Akweley Ocloo; the Ga Mantse, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II; Members of Parliament (MPs) and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) in the Greater Accra Region.

The President rallied stakeholders to play active roles in making the project successful in the national interest.

Particularly, he called on road contractors to support the operation with trucks and the Bulk Distribution Companies (BDCs) and Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) to support with fuel for the waste evacuation exercise.

Restoring dignity
President Mahama said clearing the site of waste would make way for the commencement of the Agbogbloshie Urban Renewal Project.

"The land that will be recovered after clearing this area of waste will be used for an industrial park. We intend to establish a major textile factory here so that it can employ our people," he said.

Mr Mahama urged the residents of Old Fadama and Agbogbloshie to cooperate with the military as its men carried out the exercise, saying it would improve their living conditions

He also stressed the need for a high level of transparency and accountability in the use of resources allocated for the exercise.

"A drone artificial intelligence estimate and assessment of garbage to be moved puts it at one million tonnes and our engineers estimate that if work goes on well, we should be able to clear everything within 90 days," President Mahama said.

The GAF would support efforts to protect the reclaimed land from being encroached upon, while the metropolitan assemblies enforce their by-laws.

“For the people of Old Fadama and Agbogbloshie, this exercise is being undertaken for your health benefit, so I urge you to cooperate with the operations team and the military. We know that some inconveniences will occur, but it is for the larger interest of us all," he said.

President Mahama added that the same exercise would be carried out across the country where similar challenges persisted.

For his part, Mr Ayariga expressed his commitment to lead the way to ensure the evacuation of the waste and restoration of life to the lost ecosystem of the area.

He said although the evacuation and decongestion exercise would take some time because of the volume of work involved, when stakeholders worked together, they could overcome the challenge.

"This exercise will take a while; it will cause some inconveniences to residents of Accra, but that is the price we must all pay.”

"We have allowed waste to accumulate over many decades and we have to bear the consequences a bit for our collective good," Mr Ayariga said.

The Local Government Minister called on corporate Ghana to support the worthy national exercise by contributing both financial and material resources.

"Industries along Agbogbloshie, the Graphic Road and the Ringway areas must support this initiative because when the place is sanitised and sanitation conditions improve, it will impact the health of their workers," Mr Ayariga said.

Financial support
The Finance Minister said the evacuation exercise was cost-effective because machines acquired for the District Road Improvement Programme (DRIP) would be used to evacuate the  waste.

He explained that portions of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF) had been dedicated to fund the exercise.

Again, Dr Forson said the Ministry of Transport had made special arrangements for contractors to release 200 trucks to support the project.

"I want to give the Local  Government Minister my assurance that I will support this good initiative with the needed funds to ensure that it succeeds," he said.

Dr Forson also gave the assurance that special allocation would be made in the 2027 budget for the construction of three landfill sites for effective waste management.