News:
October 14, 2013
The Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry and Member of Parliament for Odododiodio, Nii Lantey Vanderpuye says reports on the World Bank banning Zoomlion in Liberia, was over exaggerated.
Addressing some journalists in Accra last week, Nii Lantey Vanderpuye said Zoomlion has no problem in Ghana with their operations and that their service has been hailed as excellent by all Ghanaians.
According to him, the issue in Liberia was an isolated incident and does not warrant the company being branded as corrupt, insisting that Ghanaians and government have great respect and admiration for Zoomlion and its exemplary expansion in other African countries, creating jobs for thousands of Ghanaians and other Africans.
He maintained that in Ghana, Zoomlion employs over 200,000 people nationwide and that Zoomlion has also contributed immensely to the management of waste and environmental sanitation in Ghana and other countries.
He pointed out that this is evidenced by the numerous awards received by the company from both local and internationally acclaimed bodies such as Ernst and Youngs, Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC).
Again, he noted that in 2008 during the African Cup of Nations, Zoomlion made the country extremely proud thereby paving the way for them to win another contract in Angola for the 2010 African Cup of Nations, saying “its venturing into other African countries is a pride to me as Ghanaian”.
The Deputy Trade Minister said Zoomlion is currently in Zambia, Togo, Equatorial Guinea and Angola, stressing that Ghanaians must encourage and support Zoomlion and other Ghanaian industrialists like RLG, Kasapreko, and GIHOC who have excelled in other sectors of the economy such as communications, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
He advised Zoomlion to keep an eye on their external subsidiaries and hold to maintaining the image and integrity of their brand.
He said the Ministry of Trade and Industry would contact the World Bank to seek further understanding of the nature of the reported infractions with the view of ensuring that Zoomlion gets all the support necessary to institute and embed the corrective action.
Meanwhile, the Ghanaian waste management giant has duly taken punitive sanctions against its representative in Liberia.
The project in question is a Waste Collection Contract under the Emergency Monrovia Urban Sanitation Project. Indeed, Zoomlion’s World Bank project in Liberia is ongoing and has been extended and that Zoomlion still has a cordial relationship with the World Bank, the company maintained.
According to Zoomlion, it will always strive to uphold the best standards in enhancing the reputation of Ghana in all its operational countries.