MOLE CONFERENCE
BUILDING PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP FOR SCALING-UP
SUSTAINABLE SANITATION DELIVERY
PRESENTATION BY:
AMA A. OFORI – ANTWI
Executive Secretary. ESPA
FORMAT
What is ESPA
 Brief Background of Public Private
Partnership in waste management
 Challenges that Private Partners Providing
The Services Face
 Building Private Partnership For Scaling
UP Sustainable Sanitation Delivery

WHAT IS ESPA ?
ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES PROVIDERS
ASSOCIATION.
•Waste
management companies that have come
together
•The
Mission of ESPA is to “complement and support
Government’s effort to resolve environmental
sanitation in our communities”.
ESPA objectives include to
Co-ordinate the activities of member companies;
 Support and carry out environmentally sound services;
 Mobilise capital and provide machinery for effectual
utilization of support packages for the sector made
available through national and multinational
organizations;
 Initiate and support research programmes for
appropriate technology and management techniques;
 Advocate total participation of private sector in all
aspects of waste management and environmental
sanitation and
 Provide a system of waste management that is
environmentally sound and publicly acceptable to all
stakeholders

ESPA Structure

ESPA is a credible stake holder in the
provision of sanitation and waste
management services in Ghana.

The association has new Executive
headed by Dr Joseph Siaw Agyepong
as the President.
BACKGROUND OF PUBLIC
PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP

The provision of public infrastructure and
services has typically been viewed as the
responsibility of local
government.(Assemblies, Municipal,
Metro.)

With Urbanization ;
Background. Continued

The traditional role of the Government as
primary infrastructure and public provider
is gradually being supplemented with
private sector expertise and financing
hence the adoption of the Public Private
Partnership(PPP)
BackgroundContinued

In 1986, the Government of Ghana
decided to accept private sector
participation in wastes management and
environmental sanitation.

This witnessed some private contractors
coming on board to deliver waste
management services.
Background Continued

Through their involvement, huge financial
and operational burden were taken off
the District Assemblies which
traditionally were performing these
municipal functions.
THE PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP

Challenges That Members’ Providing
The Services Face
The concept of the Ghanaian paying for
sanitation and even subscribing to the
service was difficult
 Private Partner introduced modernised
equipments

P.P.

Introduction of equipment means large
scale financial Capital Injection.

Lack of Banks to invest in that sector as
they considered it high risk factor

Those that gave the loans, did so with
high commercial interest charges.
Lack of Local Government
Support
 Procurement of equipment are capital
intensive. Government do charge exorbitant
taxes on newly imported machinery(Refuse
Trucks). When contractors resort to importing
second hand machines it also attract Penalty of
over 50% cost in addition to the taxes.

The contractors also found it impossible
recover the cost for services rendered to
communities, especially the poor and the
vulnerable who are in the majority of resident
One major problem for waste
contractors is “supply of bins”. The
government has not been able to meet
the demand.
 Local Government in arrears of payment
to contractors for services that has been
provided.


Lack of adequate incentives for member
companies in operations of Landfills,
Compost Plant and Recycling Plants

Construction of landfill sites is also capital
intensive. The Private Investor that invest
in such projects are not able to recover
cost simply because this is an entirely new
area of waste management in Ghana.

Compost produced in Ghana is also not
being patronized to enable investor
recoup it money . This is because of
Government importation of chemical
fertilizer into the country.
Legislation and Enforcement by
MMDA’s

Metrolopolitan Municipal and District
Assemblies also fail by being weak in the
enforcement of bye laws on participation
and compliance.

Assemblies are weak in putting up
relevant legislation on the delivery of
services.

Meanwhile the waste companies need bye
laws to regulate the behaviour of residents

There are instances where residents refuse
to register for collection, others throw away
waste into open spaces and drains etc

Other residents who fail to pay for services
rendered, thereby depriving waste
companies needed revenue to operate.
Political leadership

Poor Institutional Memory Due to
Rampant Reshuffle of Minister and
Institutional Heads.

Clear Policies Required
Insufficient Public Education on
Waste Management

Poor public education by the various
assemblies have contributed to lack of
cooperation from the general public

There is a direct correlation on impact of
health, education and poverty reduction

BUILDING PRIVATE
PARTNERSHIP FOR SCALING-UP
SUSTAINABLE SANITATION
DELIVERY
Advantages.
The Private sector being the “engine of
growth” in a developing economy the
government therefore needs to come
into partnership with the private sector in
the delivery of such services.
 This partnership creates jobs, the
employees will pay taxes also the profits
of the private business increases and as
such tax to be paid will also increase.

Advantages(Continued)

The private sector bring in large scale
financial injection into the economy,
technical management expertise in solid
waste management and improve
operating efficiencies in the system
Scaling Up
They can therefore scale up sustainable
sanitation delivery in the country by
coming together (ESPA in process) to
have a strong voice to lobby
Government for better conditions of
service.
 The Government of Ghana for instance
need to support and promote recycling of
waste in the country.

Scaling Up. (contd)

It is a capital intensive project and
investors are now operating at a loss. To
alleviate this problem government is
expected to come into partnership with
the private investors so as to reduce the
cost of operations.

Recycling has a lot of advantages. Firstly, it
reduces the negative impact on the
environment. Secondly, the end products
are put to a better economic use. Also
the cost of operating landfills can be
reduced.
Concluding Remarks

Inefficient management of waste leads to ill
health which impacts on Government
National Health Insurance Scheme(NHIS).

For instance improper dumping of waste is
an environmental hazard as it creates
diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea, typhoid
etc. Any person contracting any of these
diseases will go to the hospital and claim on
the NHIS. From the hospital he goes back
to the same environment. This will turn out
to be a viscous cycle?

According to the World Health
Organisation(WHO) “88% of diarrhoea
cases are attributable to the poor
environmental factors mainly from poor
sanitation and excreta management.
Available scientific evidence suggests that
basic sanitation interventions can avert
36% of diarrhoea and improved sanitation
and hygiene combined can avert 45% of
cases.

This can affect tourism and damaging
economic implications for the country.
(International conferences and programmes
in Ghana can be cancelled). The individual
being affected, whether a labourer or a
manager leads to absenteeism and leading
to labour cost
Recommendations

Government should therefore see the
private waste companies as reliable
partners and offer all the needed support
to enable them thrive in these harsh
economic environment.

Since waste management is an infant
industry in Ghana and important factor in
health delivery system of the country,
teething problems of the industry need to
be tackled by Government
Measures like task exemptions on vehicles
and equipments will go a long way to
support the industry.
 This will in no doubt encourage more
companies to invest thereby scaling up
the overall environmental sanitation of
the country


It is our believe that these simple
measures by Government will help in
achieving the Millennium Development
Goal (MDG, 7) which seeks to ensure
sustaining improvements in environmental
sanitation.
THANK YOU