President John Dramani Mahama says the removal of accumulated waste from Agbogbloshie will pave the way for an industrial park and a major textile factory.
He made the announcement after commissioning a 90-day operation to evacuate an estimated one million tonnes of waste from the Accra community to the Adepa Engineered Landfill Site near Nsawam.
“When we have cleared this garbage, the land that will be reclaimed and recovered is going to be an Industrial Park. We intend to establish a major textile factory here so that they can provide employment to our young people,” he said.
The operation is being undertaken by the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs in collaboration with the Ghana Armed Forces and DRIP, with funding support from the Ministry of Finance and the District Assemblies Common Fund.
President Mahama said the project forms part of a broader effort to address the sanitation challenges that have affected Agbogbloshie for years while creating opportunities for economic activity.
He said the government was deploying DRIP equipment, including tipper trucks, excavators, bulldozers and wheel loaders, to undertake the work.
The waste is expected to be excavated, loaded and transported to Adepa for controlled disposal, compaction and covering.
The President said the operation would also end the open dumping and burning of waste in the area, which he said had endangered lives and damaged the environment.
The estimated volume of waste was determined through a drone-assisted artificial intelligence assessment.
Agbogbloshie and nearby Old Fadama have historically been important informal economic areas in Accra, but have also faced longstanding sanitation and environmental challenges.
President Mahama appealed to residents to cooperate with the military, DRIP operators and assembly teams as the exercise gets underway.
