Former Chief Executive Officer of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), Kofi Agyepong, has categorically refuted recent claims made by waste management giant Zoomlion Ghana Limited regarding allowance negotiations for sanitation workers under the YEA’s sanitation module.
In a strongly worded response, Mr. Agyepong accused Zoomlion of peddling misinformation and misrepresenting the facts surrounding their failed contract renegotiations in 2024.
The rebuttal follows a press release issued by Zoomlion on April 30, 2025, in which the company asserted that it had proposed an increment in the monthly allowance for sweepers to GHS420, but that the YEA under Agyepong’s leadership countered with a lower amount of GHS300.
However, Mr. Agyepong has dismissed this claim as false and misleading, insisting that no such GHS300 counterproposal was ever submitted by his administration.
According to Agyepong, the only counterproposal submitted to the YEA Board during his tenure was GHS500 per month per sweeper — a figure his leadership arrived at reluctantly due to budget constraints, despite their desire to pay more in recognition of the strenuous work done by sanitation workers.
“The proposal Zoomlion submitted in November 2024 requested that the allocation per beneficiary be increased to GHS1,308, of which GHS888 would be retained by Zoomlion as a management fee, leaving GHS420 for the beneficiary.
“This proposal, in our view, was excessive, unjustified, and deeply unfair to the sweepers. It was rejected outright by my management and Board, and we formally communicated our disapproval to Zoomlion.”
Former Chief Executive Officer of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), Kofi Agyepong
Zoomlion’s claim that this rejected proposal remains “under discussion,” Agyepong added, was not only misleading but also an attempt to falsely associate the current leadership’s dealings with decisions made under his tenure.
While Mr Agyepong noted he cannot speak for the current YEA leadership, he clarified that for his administration, that proposal was rejected, and no further negotiations took place on that matter.
Systemic Concerns
But Mr. Agyepong did not stop at challenging the allowance debate. He used the opportunity to draw attention to broader systemic concerns his administration raised during the contract renewal deliberations with Zoomlion.
He revealed that the discussions were not merely about how much sweepers should earn but also focused on critical reforms that Zoomlion resisted — reforms that were geared towards improving accountability and protecting the public interest.
One of the key proposals, Agyepong disclosed, involved revising the payment flow. Unlike other modules under YEA, where beneficiaries are paid directly by the Agency, the sanitation module operated differently, with Zoomlion in control of disbursing funds.
According to Mr Agyepong, his administration proposed taking over that responsibility to enhance transparency and accurate reporting, however, Zoomlion resisted it.
Additionally, the former YEA boss highlighted issues related to logistics management. He revealed that the Agency suggested all logistics procured under the contract be deposited into YEA-managed warehouses to ensure proper inventory control and accountability.
This proposal too was rejected by Zoomlion, further frustrating reform efforts.
“These were among the key reform-oriented proposals we put forward to protect the public interest and ensure fairness to beneficiaries. Zoomlion’s refusal to accept these changes is precisely why my administration declined to renew their contract.”
Former Chief Executive Officer of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), Kofi Agyepong
While stating that he and his team had “since moved on” from the matter, Mr Agyepong urged the current YEA leadership to be vigilant and avoid being coerced into deals that do not prioritize the welfare of sweepers or the interest of the Ghanaian taxpayer.
In closing, Agyepong called on Ghanaians to understand that attempts to reform the long-standing arrangement between Zoomlion and the YEA should not be viewed through a partisan lens but rather as part of a broader commitment to transparency, fairness, and responsible governance.
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