The Chief Executive Officer of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), Malik Basintale, has announced plans to increase allowances for beneficiaries of the agency’s sanitation module by over 300% as part of a new waste management agreement. This decision comes after YEA suspended its contract with Zoomlion Ghana Limited, which had been providing beneficiaries with a payment of GH¢258—an amount that has been widely criticized as inadequate.
During a press conference following his appearance before the Public Accounts Committee on Friday, August 22, 2025, Mr. Basintale stated that a committee has been assigned to review tenders for selecting a new waste management service provider. He emphasized, “When I took office, I vowed by my late grandfather’s grave that no contract would be signed that pays GH¢258. That figure is unacceptable in this modern era. In any future contract, we will not go below the minimum wage. We are aiming for more than a 300 percent increase.”
He further revealed that about 5,000 beneficiaries who failed to report to their duty posts would forfeit two months of unpaid salaries. “We have not discovered ghost names; what we found are 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.
Source: William Narh
