Author : Nana Kofi Barfour | November 03, 2025
In Ghana’s growing private sector, few names inspire as much respect or controversy as Dr.
Joseph Siaw Agyepong, Founder and Executive Chairman of the Jospong Group of Companies.
His work through Zoomlion Ghana Limited has shaped the country’s waste management and
environmental sustainability agenda for nearly two decades. Yet, his story is as much about
vision and innovation as it is about the politics of success, and the high cost of national amnesia.
“Leadership is not about perfection — it’s about purpose. It’s about imperfect men who still
choose to make perfect contributions to their nation’s destiny.”
— Nana Kofi Barfour
The Story
In the grand conversation about Ghana’s progress, one name echoes quietly yet powerfully, Dr.
Joseph Siaw Agyepong.
From running a small printing press in Accra to leading one of Africa’s most diversified
conglomerates, Dr. Agyepong’s journey reads like a blueprint for resilience and faith in
purpose. His rise is not merely a personal victory; it’s a demonstration of how entrepreneurship
can become a tool for national transformation.
At the heart of his legacy lies Zoomlion Ghana Limited, the sanitation powerhouse that turned
waste management from a civic afterthought into a structured, technology-driven industry.
Through Zoomlion, he redefined environmental sustainability in Ghana, providing jobs,
creating public awareness, and changing the way the nation manages its waste.
But his vision has long crossed borders. Through the Jospong Group of Companies, Dr.
Agyepong has expanded operations into over ten African countries, establishing subsidiaries
such as Zoomlion Liberia, Zoomlion Togo, Zoomlion Sierra Leone, Zoomlion Zambia, and
Zoomlion Angola. The group also runs Jospong Engineering and Manufacturing Limited, AH
Hotel and Conference Centre, Atlantic Waste Recycling Limited, and Accra Compost and
Recycling Plant (ACARP), all contributing to industrial growth and environmental protection
in Ghana and across Africa.
Each of these ventures represents his larger ambition: building a pan-African model of
sustainable enterprise driven by local innovation, youth employment, and environmental
responsibility.
And yet, behind the empire is a man, human, fallible, yet unwavering in his belief that Africa’s
greatness must be built by Africans. His life, full of lessons and imperfections, remains a living
argument that purpose, not privilege, is the foundation of impact.
The Impact
Under Dr. Agyepong’s leadership, Zoomlion Ghana Limited evolved into a national and
continental force for environmental transformation. Today, its operations sustain over 300,000
direct and indirect jobs, particularly for youth and women, and its international branches
employ thousands more across West and Southern Africa.
In Liberia, Togo, Zambia, and Sierra Leone, Zoomlion has introduced modern waste
management systems, street cleaning technologies, and recycling programs, partnering with
local governments to address environmental health challenges. These interventions have
improved public sanitation, created employment, and inspired new municipal frameworks for
sustainable waste management across the region.
Within Ghana, Zoomlion’s work has gone beyond waste collection, it has fostered a new
consciousness about sanitation, public hygiene, and civic responsibility. The company’s street
sweeping programs, plastic recycling plants, and waste-to-energy projects have strengthened
urban management and improved the nation’s health outcomes.
Through the Jospong Group, Dr. Agyepong’s initiatives align closely with the United Nations
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation),
SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and
Communities).
His Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs also reflect this commitment, supporting
education through scholarships, promoting sanitation education, and donating essential
materials to hospitals, schools, and assemblies. By combining innovation and compassion, the
Jospong Group continues to show that business success and social impact can indeed coexist.
“Entrepreneurship, when guided by conscience, becomes a force for renewal.”
The Challenges
Before Zoomlion’s emergence in 2006, Ghana’s sanitation landscape was in a dire state. Waste
collection was largely informal, dominated by unregulated tricycle collectors and poorly
equipped local assemblies struggling to manage growing urban waste. Major cities like Accra,
Kumasi, and Takoradi were overwhelmed by filth, with refuse piles choking drains, open
dumping sites contaminating groundwater, and cholera outbreaks becoming an annual
occurrence.
It was into this vacuum that Zoomlion emerged, bringing structure, equipment, innovation and
technology-driven management systems to a sector that had long been neglected. The company
introduced mechanized sweeping, waste segregation, and nationwide collection systems,
working hand in hand with local authorities and the government to improve urban sanitation.
Over time, public spaces became cleaner, disease outbreaks reduced, and Ghana’s
environmental image improved across the sub-region. However, the very success that defined Zoomlion’s rise has also become the source of its
scrutiny. Over the years, some critics have questioned the transparency and cost of its
government contracts. In response to growing public debates, the Youth Employment Agency
(YEA) and government institutions undertook reviews of their partnerships, and in 2023, the
YEA Sanitation Module contract with Zoomlion was not renewed.
Officially, the decision was justified as part of a “policy restructuring” meant to decentralize
sanitation management and empower local assemblies. Yet, insiders and industry watchers
interpret the move differently, as a politically charged decision with undertones of what some
have described as yet another “business coup d’état.”
For years, the YEA module had been one of Ghana’s most effective youth employment
interventions, engaging tens of thousands of young people in waste management while
simultaneously improving sanitation outcomes nationwide. Its sudden termination disrupts
livelihoods and weakens sanitation capacity in several municipalities. Without Zoomlion’s
logistical network, trucks, bins, and trained personnel, many districts found themselves ill
equipped to manage the surge in waste collection demands.
The results are visible: heaps of uncollected refuse, clogged gutters, and growing sanitation
lapses, especially in urban centres. This reversal could roll back years of progress in
environmental hygiene and disease prevention.
Beyond the environmental cost lies an economic one. The withdrawal of a key private player
like Zoomlion from state-supported programs not only reduces youth employment but also
undermines investor confidence in Ghana’s public-private partnership (PPP) framework. When
thriving indigenous businesses become casualties of political realignment, the broader
economy suffers.
“When politics begins to define which businesses deserve support, national progress becomes
collateral damage.”
Still, through these headwinds, Dr. Agyepong remains undeterred. He continues to champion
innovation through waste-to-energy projects, recycling initiatives, and regional expansions,
proving that genuine vision is resilient even when challenged by shifting political tides.
Reflective Thoughts
Dr. Joseph Siaw Agyepong’s story is not just one of business success; it’s a portrait of
perseverance, faith, and transformation. His work has touched lives, inspired communities, and
positioned Ghana as a regional leader in environmental innovation.
“In a nation hungry for change, why do we often tear down those who build?” “How can we
claim to pursue sustainable development while crippling the very enterprises that make it
possible?” “Should political transitions mean the death of national progress?” Despite his human imperfections, Dr. Agyepong’s legacy remains one of service, a man who
turned waste into wealth and vision into opportunity.
Perhaps Ghana’s real challenge is not a lack of visionaries, but a lack of recognition for them.
Until the nation learns to honour its living builders, progress will remain fragile, and greatness
will always be delayed.
#JosephSiawAgyepong #Zoomlion #JospongGroup #Leadership
#NationalDevelopment #Sustainability #GhanaEconomy
#YouthEmployment #AfricaRising #SDGs #ImpactOverTalk #NationalTreasure
Nana Kofi Barfour
nbobonsu@gmail.com
