President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has urged the private sector to take advantage of the vast business opportunities in the management of waste across the country.

He noted that the increasing population levels, booming economy, with rapid urbanization and the rise in community living standards had created a waste management challenge, that, however, held enormous profitability for the private sector.

The President made the call on Monday at the Independence Square in Accra when he commissioned 101 waste management trucks and 25 disinfection trucks as part of a public-private partnership between the Government of Ghana and Zoomlion limited, a waste management company.

The trucks are the first batch of a total of 500 waste management trucks procured by Zoomlion to bolster government's effort in its clean Ghana campaign and help the ongoing disinfection exercise of spaces and institutions that have been rolled out since the onset of COVID-19.

President Akufo-Addo said the procurement of the trucks by Zoomlion was "a clear manifestation of the commitment of progressive elements in the private sector to work with government to deliver quality infrastructure in addressing the waste management situation.

He said the current situation where a total of 7.5 million metric tonnes of waste was generated annually, meant that more private companies must collaborate with the government in creating business opportunities in the waste management space.

These include waste-to-energy, materials recovery, recycling and compositing.

Government, President Akufo-Addo reiterated, would continue to create an enabling environment, where the private sector players would have the opportunity to help provide sustainable waste management services.

He said the government's agenda of making Ghana clean was on course, adding that, "Government remains committed to achieving our development objective as well as our targets under the United Nations Sustainable development."

Dr Joseph Siaw Agyapong, CEO of the Jospong Group of Companies, the parent firm of Zoomlion, said the vehicles would boost Zoomlion's already existing fleet of waste management trucks and help improve sanitation across the country.

"As we work towards a clean Ghana, we must all commit to the vision of the President. We must also support existing initiatives, such as the Environmental Care Campaign by the Church of Pentecost, the Chief Imam’s Campaign on Cleanliness, as well as projects by Civil Society Groups, the Graphic Communications Group and other media partners.

"We are also pleading with the local authorities that the sanitation courts work to enforce discipline among the citizens," Mr Agyapong appealed.

By October this year, Zoomlion Ghana Ltd would have taken delivery of all the 500 trucks to cart waste from business districts and communities to landfill sites.

The trucks will be distributed to all the 16 regions to help the Clean Ghana agenda.