13 Aug Extend Covid-19 relief support to us – Waste Mgt firm to govt
The Impact of Covid-19 has been dire on many businesses in Ghana.
Waste Management Companies have not been insulated from the negative effect of the pandemic on cash flow despite its crucial role in managing increasing contagious medical waste which would have a deleterious effect on the environment if mismanaged.
Ing Immanuel B. Nartey -Takoli Managing Director of Jekora Ventures -a Waste Management Company in Accra told Kasapa News, industrial and commercial waste production has fallen drastically due to the slowdown in
manufacturing activity affecting cash flow.
“The impact has been great. In Our case as Jekora Ventures, our source of funding is based on collector base principal government doesn’t give us any money so we deliver the services and collect the revenues. Most businesses have scaled-down operations some have closed down and that have impacted on our cash flow and this has impacted on our ability to continue on efficient sustainable services.”
“We thought we could access the NBSSI fund but there was a limited criteria which limited our ability. The criteria were that the company must have a total staff strength of less than 100 but Jekora we are more than 200 so we could not access that support. We’ve been trying on our own small way, reorganizing, restrategizing and that is how we have been operating till now and I can tell you confidently that regardless of those challenges, we have not laid off any of our workers. In case the government is able to vary some of the criteria and government and we are able to access some of these incentives we will be glad and thankful”.
Ing. Nartey -Takoli, also listed that, inadequate access to a Landfill site, low-cost recovery fees imposed by MMDA, bad attitude of waste generators, weak enforcement /noncompliance, lack of political will, high bank interest rate, VAT imposed on non-cost recovery services, high import duties on essential equipment required and unreliable waste generation as some major challenges affecting the waste management industry.
He however stated that, despite these challenges, Jekora Ventures continue to thrive leveraging on innovation in waste management to help Ghana fix its waste management challenges.
He said, the Company is looking into setting up buy-back centers for recovered materials,up-scaling of a successful pilot, expansion of waste segregation in Schools, Churches, market places and corporate institutions.
Also, create a green market, partner the academia for research in waste management, and influence national Policy to regulate circular Economic models in the green space, all in its quest to trim waste into treasure.
The Managing Director made these known when Executives of the Ghana Association of Assembly Members visited the company to exchange ideas on the role of stakeholders in tackling waste management mess in the country.