AN ASSESSMENT OF THE PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP (PPP) BETWEEEN WA MUNICIPAL ASSEMBLY AND ZOOMLION COMPANY IN SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT IN THE WA MUNICIPALITY

Abstract

In recent times, the critical issue of waste management has become a major subject of interest to most scholars of climate change and sustainable development experts. Protecting clean water and improving clean air are a major concern in the delivery of public service in the area of waste management in the manner that does not cause further damage to the future generations. Thus the concern of government worldwide on the benefits and challenges faced by the government and the private sector in the management of waste as a means of protecting the vulnerable in society. The thesis examined the public private partnership between the Zoomlion Company Limited of Ghana and the Wa Municipal Assembly. The study looked at the benefits and challenges of PPP arrangement in waste management and how effective waste management could become with the introduction of the private sector to partner the public sector. The mixed method approach of research was adopted which includes the quantitative method of research as well as the qualitative method of research. Whiles the quantitative method adopted simple random sampling for data collection from about 240 respondents using questionnaires, the qualitative method adopted in-depth expert interviews of about 17 respondents through purposive sampling officials of both Zoomlion and the Wa Municipal Assembly. The case study approach of the study was adopted to enable the researcher focus on the intricacies and complexities of the problem within the Wa Municipality. Data were collected from both primary and secondary sources. About 257 data respondents were engaged comprising 240 through questionnaires and 17 as face to face interview. Data were analyzed using the SPSS which show simple descriptive statistic in MS excel as well as contents analysis. Key findings of the study revealed that the activities of PPP in solid waste management are satisfactory in the municipality. It discovers that the participation of the private sector in the solid waste management of the assembly has contributed immensely to not only clean and beautiful environment but it has contributed to an improved revenue mobilizations well as reducing all forms of activities that hitherto use to lead to malaria and cholera. The study also found that private actors are more involved than the public actors and even on an individual basis in the household, women were found to be more effective in handling waste and sanitation issue than males. The study again found out that, PPP arrangement as far as solid waste management in concern in the Wa Municipals Assembly is the best option because, from the analysis, it has come out clearly that it is most efficient and result due to mutual accountability. The study, therefore, recommends that a comprehensive education should be carried out to ensure that more persons understand that the more waste they generate the more revenue the waste management companies make and the less money available to the Wa municipal assembly for the delivery of other critical social services. There must be an attitudinal change especially in the early years of development of the child. This would enable the municipal assembly as part of its constitutional mandate to focus on poverty reduction, sustainable livelihood development and enhancing capacity building and jobs for the development of the local economy of the area.