Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs Minister Mahama Ayariga has given all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) 30 days to identify at least one acre of land in their areas for the construction of waste transfer stations.
The minister gave the directive on Saturday, October 3, 2026, during the National Sanitation Day exercise at Rawlings Park in Accra, which also marked World Cleanup Day 2026.
“I’m giving you 30 days to present to me a one-acre land in your metropolis, your municipality and your district because government is going to construct transfer stations,” Mr Ayariga said, as reported by Citi Newsroom.
The directive forms part of President John Dramani Mahama’s plan to overhaul waste management in the country, starting at the household level.
Ayariga’s 30-day directive to MMDCEs explained
Under the directive, every assembly is expected to identify and submit a site measuring at least one acre for a waste transfer station.
The minister said the priority areas are Greater Accra, Greater Kumasi, Sekondi-Takoradi and the other regional capitals.
MMDCEs in the three major urban centres have an additional task: they must also identify suitable land for properly engineered landfill facilities.
Why government wants more waste transfer stations
Mr Ayariga said Ghana’s sanitation problem is largely an infrastructure problem. He noted that the country does not have enough collection bins, tricycles, transfer stations or properly managed landfill sites.
According to MyJoyOnline, he explained that residents often resort to improper disposal when waste facilities are unavailable or located too far from their homes and workplaces.
Adom Online also quoted the minister as saying current landfill infrastructure lacks the engineering needed to meet Ghana’s waste management needs.
The directive follows his tour of waste facilities in Greater Accra in early September, including the Achimota and Jamestown transfer stations and the Kpone landfill, where he called for an overhaul of how waste is transported to transfer stations, Graphic Online reported.
New waste management plan: what is changing
The transfer stations are one part of a wider integrated system covering waste collection, transfer, disposal and recycling. The key components announced so far are:
- Household bins: Every household is to receive two bins, one for organic waste and one for solid waste, to encourage sorting at source.
- Collection vehicles: Open-bucket tricycles, popularly called “Aboboyaa”, are to be replaced with modern self-loading waste vehicles.
- Transfer stations: At least one-acre sites in Greater Accra, Greater Kumasi, Sekondi-Takoradi and regional capitals.
- Landfills: Properly engineered landfill facilities in the major urban areas.
- Funding: Mr Ayariga said he would work with Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson to channel savings from reduced public expenditure into waste management infrastructure.
What it means for residents and assemblies
For residents, the plan promises waste facilities closer to homes and workplaces, plus bins that make sorting waste easier. Government says this should reduce the amount of rubbish that ends up in drains.
For MMDCEs, the clock is now running. Each assembly must find and present suitable land within the 30-day window, which counted from Saturday’s announcement would end in early November 2026.
At the event, Accra Mayor Michael Kpakpo Allotey urged residents to treat cleanliness as a daily responsibility rather than something done only during organised clean-up exercises. A representative of the Ga Mantse, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, also called for sustained community engagement on sanitation.
The push comes months after the government’s National Cleaning Exercise, which saw the Finance Minister and other officials lead day-one clean-up activities.
What happens next
MMDCEs are expected to submit their identified sites to the ministry before the deadline expires.
The ministry has not yet announced a construction timeline, contractors or the total cost of the transfer stations, landfills or household bins. Details on when households will begin receiving the two bins have also not been announced.
Key details at a glance
- Who: Mahama Ayariga, Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs
- Directive: MMDCEs to identify at least one acre of land for waste transfer stations
- Deadline: 30 days from October 3, 2026
- Priority areas: Greater Accra, Greater Kumasi, Sekondi-Takoradi and regional capitals
- Extra task: Major cities to find land for engineered landfills
- Households: Two bins each, for organic and solid waste
- Where announced: National Sanitation Day, Rawlings Park, Accra
FAQs
What did Mahama Ayariga direct MMDCEs to do?
He directed all MMDCEs to identify and present at least one acre of land in their districts within 30 days for the construction of waste transfer stations.
When is the deadline for MMDCEs to submit land for waste transfer stations?
The directive was given on October 3, 2026, with a 30-day window, meaning the deadline falls in early November 2026.
Will households in Ghana get free waste bins?
Government says every household will receive two bins, one for organic waste and one for solid waste. It has not yet announced when distribution will start or whether households will pay.
Mahama Ayariga’s 30-day directive puts MMDCEs on the clock to secure one-acre sites for waste transfer stations, as government moves to replace Aboboyaa tricycles, give households two bins and build engineered landfills in major cities. The next milestone is the submission of sites in early November, after which Ghanaians will be watching for construction timelines and funding details.
