The Chief Executive Officer of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), Malik Basintale, has announced that allowances for beneficiaries under the agency’s sanitation module will soon be increased by more than 300%, following the suspension of YEA’s long-standing contract with Zoomlion Ghana Limited.
Until recently, sanitation beneficiaries were receiving GH¢258 monthly, an amount that had sparked widespread criticism from civil society groups, labour unions, and even beneficiaries themselves, who argued it was far below the minimum wage and inadequate to meet basic living expenses.
Addressing the press on Friday, August 22, 2025, after appearing before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament, Mr. Basintale disclosed that a new waste management agreement was being prepared to replace the Zoomlion arrangement.
He said a committee had been constituted to review tenders from prospective service providers to ensure that the new deal prioritises the welfare of beneficiaries.
“When I took office, I swore by my late grandfather’s grave that no contract would be signed to pay GH¢258. That figure is unacceptable in this modern era. In any future contract, we will not go below the minimum wage. We are looking at more than a 300 percent increase,” Mr. Basintale stressed.
The YEA boss further revealed that about 5,000 beneficiaries who failed to report to their designated duty posts during recent validation exercises would forfeit two months of unpaid salaries.
“We have not discovered ghost names; what we found were individuals who were absent. Those at post have been validated, but those absent will lose two months’ pay. Beneficiaries who were validated can attest that their allowances have already been credited to their accounts,” he explained.
Mr. Basintale also assured Parliament and the public that the YEA was committed to transparency, accountability, and efficiency in managing youth employment schemes.
He said the new waste management contract would not only raise allowances but also introduce stricter supervision to ensure value for money.
The sanitation module, one of YEA’s largest initiatives, engages thousands of young people nationwide to support waste collection and environmental cleanliness.
The planned allowance increase has been welcomed by many stakeholders, who see it as a step towards restoring dignity to youth engaged in sanitation work and aligning compensation with Ghana’s labour standards.
The new contract is expected to be finalised and rolled out in the coming weeks, pending parliamentary oversight and approval.
