The Ahafo Regional Minister, Hon. George Boakye, has commissioned the Goaso Integrated Recycling and Composting Plant in Ahafo.
Located at Akrodie in the Asunafo North in the Ahafo region, the Plant is an integrated waste processing and recycling facility established to receive and process solid waste and produce organic manure for agronomic purposes in the region and plastic pellets as raw material for industries.
Commissioning the Plant, the Regional Minister noted that the establishment of the project is part of the government’s agenda to reduce unemployment in the region and the country as a whole.
“It will help to solve our unemployment problem by employing close to 800 youth as well as supply our farmers with high-grade compost while protecting and keeping the environment clean,” he stressed .
He reiterated that the government remains steadfast to collaborate with the private sector to propel the economy, and one of such is the partnership with the Jospong Group of Companies to manage and recycle waste across the country.
He noted that in the past, managing waste generated in the region has been a challenge leading to insanitary conditions, but the establishment of the facility will efficiently address all that.
“Before the establishment of the facility, waste was just dumped at the landfill which posed a lot of health and environmental risk to the people of the community,” he narrated.
Hon. Boakye observed that the 1.4% annual population growth rate of the region impacts negatively on waste generation and its management, hence the need to find a lasting and environmentally friendly solution to the challenge.
“The volume of waste generated demanded that we look for more environmentally friendly means of managing our waste,” he added.
President and Omanhene of the Kukuom Traditional Council, Osahene Kwaku Aterkyi II,
commended the Jospong Group and the government in ensuring that the project comes to life adding that the project will facilitate economic growth of the region.
“This project will spur development in the region,” he noted.
He was pleased that the facility, apart from keeping the environment clean, will also provide jobs for the teeming youth.
The President of the Slovenia- Ghana Business Club, Gilbert Yelewere Meznar, on his part, noted that the project was financed by the Slovenia Eximbank. Adding that the
EximBank also supported the Sefwi and Dambai Integrated.
He stressed that Slovenia has a slot to offer.
“We have the technology and innovation to transfer,” he stated.
He pledged that Club will endeavour to facilitate more partnerships, especially with green projects that meet global goals.
Speaking on behalf of the Executive Chairman of Jospong Group, Dr. Joseph Siaw Agyepong, the Group Manager for Treasury and Investment, Mr. Lawrence Agbin noted that finding solutions to waste challenges demands collaborative efforts from all stakeholders.
He emphasized that with the establishment of the facility, no longer will waste be collected n discarded haphazardly in the region.
He therefore urged the citizens to segregate their waste.
He mentioned that the facility, which is in line with the SGD goals and can be used as a research centre, will minimize environmental impact by improving the air quality in the region.
The plant, which is one of the 16 plants being constructed across the country, has the capacity to create 300 direct jobs and about 500 indirect jobs.
The facility has a capacity to process 400 tonnes of solid waste a day.
The plant core function revolves around composting, enabling it to convert over 60% of the daily waste into high-quality compost for organic farming.
The state-of-the-art compost and recycling plants is part of Zoomlion Ghana Limited’s Integrated Recycling and Compost Plant (IRECOP), a waste processing and recycling facility established by the Jospong Group of Companies to receive, sort, process and recycle waste.