President John Mahama has stated that the government will not renew the 19-year-old contract between the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) and Zoomlion Ghana Limited.
The president has also said the government will increase the fees to be paid to sweepers, arising from the “probable cost savings” from discontinuing the Zoomlion contract.
The president announced this in a letter to investigative journalist, Manasseh Azure Awuni, who petitioned him to discontinue the Zoomlion contract detailing, with evidence, corruption and mismanagement under the contract.
The president’s letter, dated June 11, 2025, and signed by the Secretary to the President, Dr. Callistus Mahama, said, “The President acknowledges the serious concerns raised in your letter and responds as follows:
“1. Expiration of Contract: The contract between Youth Employment Agency (YEA) and Zoomlion Ghana Limited Zoomlion) has expired and will not be renewed.”
The letter also addressed some issues Manasseh raised in his petition about Zoomlion’s contract, including paltry fees paid to sweepers and other sanitation contracts in Ghana, over which Zoomlion almost enjoys an absolute monopoly.
Manasseh, whose investigation first revealed corruption in the Zoomlion contract in 2013, has spent the last 12 years advocating for the discontinuation of the contract, which many said was untouchable due to the company’s influence in both the NDC and NPP administrations.
Under the terms of the YEA-Zoomlion contract, GHS850 was allocated to each sweeper. Zoomlion keeps GHS600 and pays the sweepers GHS250 a month, according to the contract.
Credit: JOYONLINE