In a bold and emotional statement, Malik Basintale, newly appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), has vowed not to renew what he describes as an “evil” contractual arrangement between the government and waste management giant Zoomlion Ghana Limited.
Writing with deep conviction and invoking the memory of his late father, Basintale made a firm determination to end what he sees as a total rip-off of the workers under the contract.
“For 7 years, 9 months, the NPP renewed the Zoomlion contract in its current state, paying the Ghanaian Youth/worker Ghc250. H.E. John Dramani Mahama came to review, reset and bring Ghana back on track.
“This includes ensuring that every worker is paid satisfactorily for the work done. I promise on my honour as I stand by the grave of my late DAD, NOT to RENEW the contract in its CURRENT STATE or FORM.”
Malik Basintale, CEO Youth Employment Agency
Basintale’s comments reflect a broader discontent among Ghanaians over long-standing concerns about how sanitation workers, often the most vulnerable segment of public labour, are treated under the government’s sanitation outsourcing framework.
His firm stance marks a clear departure from the successive government’s consistent renewal of the Zoomlion-YEA partnership, under the defunct Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency (GYEEDA) era.
The new YEA boss emphasized that his opposition to the contract is personal as well as professional.
“If my mother/brother/sister were a Zoomlion worker, I wouldn’t be happy with either of them taking GHS250 as salary. And as such, I can’t be happy with you, your mother, father, brother or sister taking the same.”
Malik Basintale, CEO Youth Employment Agency
Basintale also praised President John Dramani Mahama, whose administration, he claims, is keen to re-evaluate exploitative contracts and reorient national development priorities.
He announced a virtual meeting tonight at 7 pm in which he will engage Ghanaian youth to get their views on the way forward for the waste management contract, urging full participation.
Manasseh Demands Full Termination
However, while Basintale’s commitment to review or terminate the current form of the contract has been welcomed by many, renowned investigative journalist and anti-corruption advocate Manasseh Azure Awuni responded swiftly with a more radical suggestion: total cancellation of the contract.
In a pointed public message to Basintale, Manasseh argued that the core problem is not just the structure of the deal, but the very existence of a third-party middleman managing sanitation labor on behalf of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).
“We don’t need a middleman between the assemblies and the people who sweep their markets. The Bongo District Assembly can supervise its sweepers without a contract being awarded in Accra to that effect.
“Let the sweepers report to the assemblies so that they are paid directly and in full. Even if we give all the 850 cedis to them, it won’t be enough in this economy.
Manasseh Azure Awuni, Ace Investigative Journalist
Manasseh cited long-standing inefficiencies and corruption in the current setup, revealing that many local assemblies already sidestep the Zoomlion-YEA framework in favor of employing their own laborers.
“The AMA and KMA are prime examples of this. The AMA petitioned the YEA in 2022 to this effect. I have that letter,” he revealed, further reinforcing his call for decentralisation of sanitation management.
He went on to point to past investigations, including the 2013 GYEEDA report commissioned under President Mahama during his first term, which flagged multiple irregularities associated with Zoomlion’s operations.
“Zoomlion is involved in too many shady deals, and keeping the company in this arrangement will defeat this purpose,” Manasseh Awuni warned, urging Basintale to consult page 131 of the report, which, according to him, documents critical evidence of mismanagement and corruption.
Manasseh Awuni, however, offered his full support to Malik Basintale, describing his intentions as noble.
“You have my support in fighting for the best for our country. I wish you well, my brother,” he concluded, signaling a rare moment of solidarity between civil society watchdogs and state officials.
The debate over the Zoomlion contract has long lingered in Ghanaian politics, often surfacing during national conversations on youth employment, decentralisation, and government spending.
Critics of the deal say it exemplifies how power and patronage intersect in the award of public sector contracts, often to the detriment of the very people the programs are meant to help.
Tonight’s Facebook live session with Basintale promises to be an important moment for public accountability, as Ghanaians await the specifics of his proposed reforms.
For many like Manasseh Azure Awuni and sanitation workers and their families, it may mark the beginning of long overdue change.
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