Former Deputy Minister for Trade and Member of Parliament for Achiase Constituency, Kofi Ahenkora Marfo, has taken government to task over what he describes as the deliberate misapplication of the sanitation component of the Energy Sector Levies Act (ESLA).
He accused government of intentionally diverting funds meant to improve sanitation infrastructure to fuel electricity generators - a move he believes is part of a strategy to frustrate Zoomlion Ghana Ltd, the country's largest waste management company.
According to Marfo, while government may have concerns about monopoly in the sanitation sector, starving the industry of essential funding as a way to undermine Zoomlion is both counterproductive and irresponsible. "It is now clear that government is deliberately redirecting sanitation levy funds to power electricity generators not out of necessity but as part of a calculated attempt to cripple Zoomlion," Marfo stated. "If government believes Zoomlion's dominance is a threat to healthy competition, then the right approach is to hold honest discussions with other capable service providers and open up the space - not sabotage the entire sector." He emphasised that the sanitation component of the ESLA levy was introduced by the NPP administration with a clear vision to strengthen the sanitation sector, attract more private players, and improve service delivery across the country. "The levy was never intended to subsidize energy costs.
It was meant to clean up our communities, support more players in waste management, and inject efficiency through competition," he said.
