Low recognition of Informal Youth groups in the solid waste management value chain

Facts Anecdotal evidence suggests 80% of Accra’s workforce is employed in the informal sector, and it is estimated that about 30% of this group works in the waste management sector. – 75% of informal waste collectors handle around 70% of household waste in Accra (Banares-Sanchez and Wiskamp, 2025) – Waste management contracts are often awarded … The post Low recognition of Informal Youth groups in the solid waste management value chain appeared first on Ghanaian Times.

Jun 17, 2026 - 08:23

Low recognition of Informal Youth groups in the solid waste management value chain

Facts

Anecdotal evidence suggests 80% of Accra’s workforce is employed in the informal sector, and it is estimated that about 30% of this group works in the waste management sector.

– 75% of informal waste collectors handle around 70% of household waste in Accra (Banares-Sanchez and Wiskamp,

2025)

– Waste management contracts are often awarded to a few large formal companies under monopolistic frameworks that fail to effectively serve low-income and informal settlements (Ampong et al., 2024).

– The level of satisfaction among households with the services provided by these few private formal companies is

low (AMA Waste Management Department, 2021; Yakubu et al., 2024)

– 92% of the informal solid waste service providers do not belong to any association, although 48% indicated the desire to join an association/cooperation

Goal:

Promote Ghanaian urban centers as habitats for a

Prosperous, healthy, safe population and globally

Competitive engines of sustainable development by 2035.

Instead, ………..

It is about exploring social, governance and economic pathways to achieving developmental goals while keeping in mind the needs of present and future generation

People & Economy

i. Access and inclusion

ii. Affordable and Safe Shelter

iii. Livable

iv. Job Friendly

Environment

i. Low Carbon

ii. Disaster Resilience

iii. Managed Waste

iv. Green

Vision:

Inclusive, Safe, Resilient and Sustainable Urban

Settlements

Goal:

Promote Ghanaian urban centres as habitats for a

prosperous, healthy, safe population and globally

competitive engines of sustainable development by

2035.

Waste management situation in Accra

Facts

– Accra generates about 1500 tons of solid waste per day (Ghana landfill guidelines,

July 2002), of which only about 55% is collected and disposed.

– A study (Government of Ghana 2020) on the composition of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) conducted by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (Waste Management Department) showed that about 53% of the waste stream consists of organics.

– It is further estimated that over 90% of Accra’s waste that is collected ends up in landfills, according to the same study (Municipal Solid Waste Characterisation and Landfill Emission Measurement in Accra).

Environmental blight, suc

Low recognition of Informal Youth groups in the solid waste management value chain

Facts

– Anecdotal evidence suggests 80% of Accra’s workforce is employed in the informal sector, and it is estimated that about 30% of this group works in the waste management sector.

– 75% of informal waste collectors handle around 70% of household waste in Accra (Banares-Sanchez and Wiskamp,

2025)

– The level of satisfaction among households with the services provided by these few private formal companies is

low (AMA Waste Management Department, 2021; Yakubu et al., 2024)

– 92% of the informal solid waste service providers do not belong to any association, although 48% indicated the desire to join an association/cooperate

harassmeny law

Low infrastructure finance due to low IGF (property tax) mobilisation

Facts

– Property records are incomplete, making the implementation of property rating difficult (incomplete, outdated valuation lists, which hinder accuracy)

– There is weak trust among citizens/taxpayers in the MMAs revenue systems and valuation processes and systems.

– Low compliance with property tax payment due to the poor relationship between

collection and low and poor urban service delivery

An estimated USD37.2 billion is required annually to fund Ghana’s infrastructure needs, including investments in energy, telecommunications, transport, solid waste management, and water. This exceeds the government’s current capital expenditure by a scale of almost 40:1.

low

Over-reliance on

▪The ACRC approach is a collaborative and holistic

approach to urban development research and urban

reform.

▪It integrates systems thinking with political analysis to

generate insights that can support urban reform efforts

What is theory of change

• Theory of Change is essentially a comprehensive description and illustration of how and why a desired change is expected to happen in a particular context

• It is an explicit theory of how and why it is thought that an intervention produces outputs, leading to outcomes and impacts.

What are the pathways for driving urban reforms?

The ACRC approach identifies four preconditions for urban

transformation

▪Political commitment from the elite

▪Citizens who are mobilised

▪Developing the short and long-term state capacity

▪Identifying and building formal and informal reform coalitions

Political commitment from the elite

✓What are the processes that drive elite commitment on a long-

term and robust basis?

Citizens who are mobilised

✓Are there citizens who are challenging how resources are

distributed?

✓Are these individuals and groups looking for more equitable

ways of distributing resources?

Developing the short and long-term state capacity

✓Do state actors have the needed capacity to deliver on their

mandate?

✓ Can knowledge institutions produce people who understand

participation, co-creation and co-production?

✓Can these actors think at both neighbourhood and city scales?

Identifying and building formal and informal reform

coalitions

✓Are there opportunities and platforms that can bring together formal and informal reform coalitions?

✓ How can we identify and support agencies and individuals that come together to agree and push for change?

Action research 1: Women-led Zero Informal Waste Cooperative

▪ The Women-led Cooperative for Zero Waste solution will provide transparency and control of the waste and recycling operations within the settlement.

▪ Integrating existing informal solid waste collectors.

▪ Provide Infrastructure and facilities by constructing a community composting facility and working with the Waste and Agriculture Departments of Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA).

▪ Policy Advocacy for gender-responsive waste management at the city level, emphasising the

importance of gender considerations in waste management planning and jobs.

▪ Establish Community Engagement and Participation platforms.

▪ Capacity Building: Training and capacity-building programs will be at two levels (state and non-state actors).

Action research 2: Empowering Ghana’s Youth through Waste: Organising Informal

Solid Waste Service Providers for Decent Work and Inclusive Urban Services

▪ Organise the informal solid waste service providers across the city of Accra and build their capacity.

▪ Strengthen the voice and bargaining power of the informal solid waste service providers.

▪ Advocate for the recognition of informal solid waste service providers in municipal waste planning and policy.

▪ Demonstrate collaborative and decentralised models of waste service delivery involving informal

actors.

▪ Contribute to the broader policy advocacy agenda for a devolved and inclusive reforms in urban waste economic governance

Action research 3: Enhancing Property Tax Administration

in Ghana: Community Valuation Assistants and Citizens

Education for Improved Governance

▪ Support the registration (rating and valuation) at Ga West Municipality

▪ Pilot property registration (valuation at Amasaman Zonal Council

▪ Target 44,000 properties (from the 5000)

▪ Educate property owners and local citizens on property tax payment

▪ Jointly identify and train Community Valuation Assistants

Political

Review and harmonise

AR 1 and 2

The review of the LI 1961 and

Thematic Area Policy Strategy Alignment of AR with policy Policy Action needs for success Decentralisation decentralisation-related legislations The youth-led/women led MSW operators play an important role in the solid waste management value chain but have no clear legal backing. the creation of Waste Management Departments at the Municipal and District level and must also acknowledge the roles of the informal waste operators. – Activity 4 Review LI 1961 and 1967 and issue other LIs for Act 936 AR3 The Community Valuation Assistance (CVA) address a In addition to acknowledging the new role of the CVA in the new legislations, the legal backing. adopted for the training of Unit Committee Members.

Valuation problem but have no

training module can be

Political

Review and harmonise

AR 1 and 2

The review of the LI 1961 and

Valuation problem but have no

training models can be

Decentralised

Planning

AR3

The action research seeks to

promote revenue mobilisation

Thematic Area Policy Strategy Alignment of AR with policy Policy Action needs for success Improve planning practices to respond to development and cross-cutting issues and valuation. identification and valuation.

through property identification

Interfacing the improved

national property address

system with the dLRev will

enhance property

– Activity 3

Address discrepancies in the

National Address System to

support better service delivery

and revenue mobilisation

across the country

Decentralised

Planning

AR 1 and 2

The effective operationalisation

of the roles of the youth-

led/women led MSW in the

solid waste management value

Thematic Area Policy Strategy Alignment of AR with policy Policy Action needs for success Improve planning practices to respond to development and cross-cutting issues community compost plants and transfer stations/sites. conflicts. Zoning Guidelines for improved land use management across the country. cooperative in nature involving assemblies, private sector, BTTA and all other stakeholders.

chain requires the siting of

Factoring these provisions

into land use plans and

zoning frameworks will

ensure land availability,

enhance land use conformity

and minimise land use

– Activity 4

Review, implement and enforce

Management of the transfer

sites must be inclusive or

Decentralised

Planning

Enhance decentralised planning

through the application of ICT,

other tools, and skills

development

– Activity 3

Upgrade LUPMIS into a

national system as a spatial and

development planning

AR3

The action research seeks to

promote revenue mobilisation

through property identification

Thematic Area Policy Strategy Alignment of AR with policy Policy Action needs for success database updated regularly and as a tool for land use planning and management.

and valuation.

Upgrading and integrating

the LUPMIS with the dLRev

will enhance property

identification and valuation

by providing some of the

attribute data needed on

properties.

Fiscal

Decentralisation

AR3

The action research seeks to

promote revenue mobilisation

through property identification

Thematic Area Policy Strategy Alignment of AR with policy Policy Action needs for success Establish reliable databases to sustain IGF mobilisation valuation. digital solutions, to accelerate property valuation across all 261 MMDAs.

and valuation.

Scaling up lessons that will be

learnt from the action

research will offer cost

effective approach to

developing such digital

solutions for property

– Activity 3

Develop Options, including

Fiscal

Decentralisation

Develop appropriate modalities

to transfer rating valuation

operations to MMDAs

AR3

The action research seeks to

promote community trust

through the training of

Thematic Area Policy Strategy Alignment of AR with policy Policy Action needs for success to identify and update valuation rolls. CVAs to ensure the quality of the training is high. Valuation Division of the Lands Commission on valuations done by the district officials

Community Valuation Assistants

The training modules must

be co-created with the Land

Valuation Division of the

Lands Commission and must

supervise the train of the

– Activity 2

Strengthen Systems for Quality

Assurance by the Land

Fiscal

Decentralisation

Develop appropriate modalities

to transfer rating valuation

operations to MMDAs

AR3

The action research seeks to

promote community trust

Thematic Area Policy Strategy Alignment of AR with policy Policy Action needs for success – Activity 1 Community Valuation Assistants to identify and update valuation rolls. the creation of the units. Introduce reforms to establish Property Valuation Units as part of the Budget and Rating Dept at the MMDA level to update valuation rolls on an on-going basis

through the training of

The training modules can be

adopted by the Unit to train

new staff as well as the

lessons learnt replicated in

Local Economic

Development

Promote Financial and

Non-financial Services to

MSMEs to be competitive

– Activity 3

Build capacity of