Minority in Parliament says members of the Environmental Service Providers Association (ESPA) are justified in their decision to embark on a nationwide strike on November 7 over unpaid arrears owed by the government.
Ranking Member on Parliament’s Sanitation and Water Resources Committee, Kofi Ahenkorah Marfo said the government must take full responsibility if the strike goes ahead, as it has failed to honour its financial commitments to the waste contractors.
Speaking in an interview, Mr. Marfo said the government’s decision to merge funds meant for waste collection with the Energy Levy has directly contributed to the current impasse.
The Achiase MP added that the fund was originally established to ensure continuous financing for waste collection, but diverting it has left service providers struggling to sustain their operations.
“It was categorical that this fund was for waste management. Now there’s no dedicated fund, so definitely there will be problems. They are justified to say that if you don’t pay them, they won’t continue to work,” he said.
He noted that ESPA members cannot be expected to keep operating without assurance of payment while government continues to collect sanitation-related levies from citizens.
Mr. Marfo urged the government to urgently meet with the association and release the arrears before the November 7 deadline, warning that the planned strike could trigger a nationwide sanitation crisis.
Waste collection services across Accra and other major cities in the country are expected to grind to a halt from November 7, 2025, as members of the Environmental Service Providers Association (ESPA) threaten to suspend operations over three years of unpaid arrears.