Jospong and a Hungarian company join forces to solve the sanitation problem in Kumasi and the surrounding area

General News on Wednesday, February 13, 2019

Source: peacefmonline.com

2019-02-13

Construction work and installation of a state-of-the-art wastewater treatment facility to address the persistent problem of faecal waste disposal in Kumasi and surrounding communities will begin soon

The 1000m3 plant is a joint project of Ghana and Hungary and will be carried out by Sewerage Systems Ghana, a subsidiary of the Jospong Group and Pureco Limited in Hungary.

The facility, endowed with 13 million euros and based on a robust Hungarian technology provided by Pureco Limited, a Hungarian company specialized in the water resources engineering, will also have the capacity to transform the waters used in compost for agricultural use.

As part of a colorful event aimed at breaking the foundations of plant construction in Adegya near Kumasi, Jospong Group's executive chairman, Mr. Joseph Siaw Agyepong, expressed his gratitude to Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, for his dedication to the development of the factory. in general, releasing 130 acres of land for the construction of the facility and other related facilities.

He said the factory, which will be managed by Sewerage Systems Ghana Limited, a subsidiary of the Jospong Group, will then serve as a research center for the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) to lead research activities on innovations in wastewater treatment. .

Agyepong suggested that feasibility studies had been conducted to build similar plants in Takoradi, Tamale and Tema, respectively.

In his remarks, Hungary's Ambbadador to Ghana, HE Adreas Szabo, said he was delighted with this partnership, calling it the first such partnership with a Hungarian company that has signed a contract with a Ghanaian company to the realization of a project of this scale.

He said the project would be financed by the Hungarian bank Exim and the Jospong group.

The Assistant Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of Hungary, HE Isvan Joo, also welcomed the project and described it as the first wastewater treatment plant built in sub-Saharan Africa.

Jospong bliss

The Minister of Public Works and Housing, the Hon. Samuel Atta Akyea, who spoke at the ceremony, congratulated Jospong for his great vision of the country.

He said: "We do not need the entire nation to change the nation, just one man and Dr. Joseph Siaw Agyepong is changing things in this country."

He attributed the title "etiri a eso dae pa" to Jospong, which means "a head that makes big dreams," adding that Ghana had to celebrate people like Agyepong.

Government commitment for sanitation

The Deputy Minister of Sanitation, the Hon. Michael Gyato, in a speech read on behalf of the substantive minister, said the government, since taking office, had taken steps to prioritize environmental sanitation by establishing a ministry of health. sanitation to ensure that Ghana becomes a clean nation.

He said the government wanted to achieve the goal of sustainable development in sanitation, hence the need to connect the huge existing infrastructure in the treatment of liquid waste to help end the defecation in the open air.

Nana Baffuor Agyei Fosu Twitwiakwa II, Ananta Hene and the representative of Asantehene who chaired the brief ceremony said that it was Otumfuo's hope that such adventures would make Kumasi the a true garden city and would make Kumasi his former glory!

He congratulated the Jospong Group and its founder / executive chairman for his visionary innovation, adding that "the Asanteman Council will continue to support such businesses to realize the dreams of our ancestors."

Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr. Osei Mensah, was also present at the ceremony, along with members of parliament, metropolitan, district and municipal officials, as well as Zongo leaders and community representatives. .

Context of the project

Mr. Joseph Siaw Agyepong, Executive Chairman of the Jospong Group, and Mr. Balint Horvath, Chief Executive Officer of Pureco, signed a Memorandum of Understanding in November 2017 for the construction and installation of Factories. sewage and wastewater treatment in Kumasi.

The project, which should be completed next year, is funded by the Hungarian bank Exim with another financial contribution from the Jospong group.

The plant, which will be managed by Sewerages Systems Ghana Limited, a subsidiary of the Jospong Group, is developing waste management plans in the 10 regions of Ghana.