Zoomlion Ghana Limited has refuted claims that its contract with the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) was terminated by the government, clarifying that the agreement expired naturally in September 2024. According to a company statement, the National Street Sweeping Programme, which was originally set to end in March 2024, was granted a six-month extension and concluded as scheduled—not prematurely cancelled.
“Contrary to what some media reports suggest, the expiration was not a government-initiated termination, nor did the Office of the President indicate otherwise,” the statement emphasized.
The clarification follows a letter from the Office of the President in response to a petition by investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni, who previously exposed alleged irregularities in the Zoomlion-YEA contract in 2013 and has consistently advocated for its cancellation.
Under the expired agreement, each street sweeper received a monthly allocation of GHS850—GHS600 of which went to Zoomlion and GHS250 to the worker. In 2024, Zoomlion reportedly billed the state GHS90 million in interest due to delayed payments by YEA. The company later proposed a new payment structure under review by the YEA, raising the total per sweeper to GHS1,308, with GHS888 for Zoomlion and GHS420 for the worker.
President John Mahama has announced that the contract will not be renewed. Instead, a competitive tendering process will be introduced for all future sanitation-related agreements. He also revealed plans to use the savings from ending the current contract to boost sanitation workers’ monthly allowances and pledged to recover any improper payments made under the previous deal.
Zoomlion has welcomed the President’s directive, describing the move as a step toward enhancing transparency and accountability. The company noted that the original contract was competitively awarded in 2019 and affirmed its readiness to participate in upcoming bidding processes.
“We fully support this approach and are prepared to compete in future procurements,” the company stated.
Reaffirming its commitment to ethical standards and the welfare of sanitation workers, Zoomlion said the President’s decision does not affect its other active contracts with YEA or other state institutions.
