Public-Private Partnerships In Solid Waste Management In Ghana, The Case Of Accra Metropolitan Assembly

ABSTRACT Solid waste management in Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), like most cities in developing countries, has been fraught with challenges in recent times. The rate at which household wastes are generated within AMA cannot be matched with the rate of collection or clearing waste from the city. The rapid generation of household wastes occurs as a result of rapid population growth, rapid urbanization and improvements in the socio-economic wellbeing of citizens who have occasioned the demand for consumable goods. In an attempt to ensure effective urban crisis management, AMA adopts the PPP as a dominant strategy to ameliorate the deteriorating urban solid waste situation. In this regard, the study aims at investigating the roles of the main actors in the partnership arrangement of solid waste management in Accra Metropolis. The population of the study consisted of AMA officials, contractors and householders who were purposively selected. AMA adopted the franchising typology of polluter pays principle as a dominant strategy to ameliorate the deteriorating urban solid waste situation. In order to strengthen her institutions for the arrangement, AMA established policy frameworks including procurement requirements, transparency and zoning as blue prints to guide the implementation of the PPP agreement. On a positive note, the study observed that the franchising arrangement has chalked successes as a result of the demarcation of territories to the contractors, active stakeholder participation, transparency and openness that characterized the transaction processes. Nonetheless, the study identified logistical constraints, inadequate flow of funds, inability to segregate solid wastes at the household level, the dominance of the tricyclers and weak enforcement of by-laws as some of the challenges AMA was confronted with, thus, preventing the effective achievement of the xx overall objective of eliminating solid wastes from homes of residents in the jurisdiction. The study recommends the establishment of a strong collaboration among stakeholders, the adoption of integrated solid waste management system, adequate and regular flow of funds to the contractors to sustainably resolve the solid waste crisis.