Ghana Armed Forces Deployed for Agbogloshie Evacuation
The Ghana Armed Forces have been deployed to provide operational and engineering support for the evacuation of one million tonnes of waste from Agbogloshie in Accra.
The 48 Engineers Regiment is leading the military support for the exercise, which involves the movement of waste to the Adepa Engineered Landfill Site near Nsawam in the Eastern Region.
The Regiment recently earned national acclaim for clearing the Accra-Kumasi Expressway.
President John Dramani Mahama announced the deployment on Friday, when he commissioned the evacuation exercise at Agbogloshie in Accra.
“We are now mobilising them to clear Agbogloshie; after that, I have a lot of work for them. They have more tasks. Soldiers are not only going to go to war. They are going to be used for emergency operations,” the President stated.
The exercise is being carried out by the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs in collaboration with the Ghana Armed Forces and the District Road Improvement Project, with funding support from the Ministry of Finance and the District Assemblies Common Fund.
Heavy equipment secured under the District Road Improvement Programme (DRIP), including tipper trucks, excavators, bulldozers and wheel loaders, is being deployed for the operation.
The entire exercise is expected to be completed within 90 days, with the evacuated waste transported to the Adepa Engineered Landfill for control, disposal, compaction and covering with appropriate environmental safeguards.
President Mahama noted that the operation would end the open dumping and burning that had endangered lives and damaged the surrounding environment for far too long.
He said the entire operation from evacuation, excavation, loading, transportation and final disposal must be managed responsibly.
He said the exercise forms part of a broader programme to transform the area, including the proposed Agbogloshie Urban Land Renewal Project.
Richard Aniagyei, ISD
