Waste management companies in the Greater Accra Region are expected to have waste transfer sites in the various districts in the region by February 2022.

This is part of measures to ensure that tricycles carting refuse, known as ‘aboboyaa’, are not put out of business as the Greater Accra Region bans them from using highways within the region.

From November 1, these tricycles will only be restricted from using the Accra-Tema motorway.

Most of the tricycles transfer refuse to the Kpone landfill site, which requires commuting on the Tema Motorway for easy travel.

Speaking on The Point of View on Citi TV, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Henry Quartey,, said the aboboyaa riders had been assured that their livelihood will not be affected by the region’s new sanitation initiatives like Operation Clean Your Frontage.

“We have met with the leaders of the aboboyaa and assured them that this government does not intend to deprive the informal sector of their livelihood,” he said.

Though there has been debate over fears of a total ban on the use of tricycles for carting refuse, Mr. Quartey noted that “what Operation Clean Your Frontage rather seeks to do is to regulate the operations of aboboyaa.”

He noted that the “DVLA will go to the assemblies and register riders of Aboboyaa in their respective assemblies.”

As part of this plan, Mr. Quartey said “waste management companies would have to build transfer sites in each assembly.”

“For the aboboyaa to be restricted to their respective assemblies, all the transfer sites must be ready, and you cannot just say [they are banned on highways from] November 1.”

“It is mandatory. It is non-negotiable. There should be a transfer site in all the 29 districts. In some cases, there will be more than one transfer site,” the Minister added.

Between now and February 1, Mr. Quartey said education will be one of the region’s priorities.

“You cannot enact or implement a by-law without proper education. For this bye-law to work effectively and efficiently, there must be mass education and proper sensitization, ” he said.