President John Dramani Mahama has been urged to intervene urgently by directing national security agencies and the Chief of the Ngleshie Lafa Berima Stool, Nii Ayi Okufuobour I, to immediately rescind their decision to close the Mallam-Lafa landfill site to refuse collectors, popularly known as Aboboyaa drivers.
The site is a suburb of the Mendkrom Mallam area, near Akawie Hospital.
The concerned residents of Weija Gbawe Municipality, particularly Mendskrom, Mangoline and McCarthy Hill who made the appeal denied allegations that residents in Mendskrom and its adjoining suburbs disapprove of the dumping activities.
They noted that the abrupt closure of the site without prior notice to the refuse collectors has created a health crisis in their communities.
The residents asserted that the collectors have nowhere to dump their waste, they park their heavily loaded tricycles along the roadsides and in front of residential homes, causing a terrible odour and posing serious health risks.
Residents are pleading with Nii Ayi Okufuobour I, as a traditional leader, to urge national security officials to reconsider their decision and allow the collectors to discharge their refuse.
The residents acknowledge that it was the Nii Lafa Berima Stool that actively supported the national security agencies in closing the site.
In fact, they note that the chief personally visited the area on Thursday, June 18, 2026, to witness how these overloaded trucks were creating a nuisance for the community, particularly on the shoulders of the Kasoa-Weija-Mallam Junction road.
However, the residents argue that the Aboboyaa drivers play a crucial role in maintaining environmental sanitation and hygiene across the country.
They pointed out that Zoomlion Ghana Limited alone cannot handle the refuse collection needs of all residents in Accra.
The residents stressed that President John Dramani Mahama should urgently intervene by directing national security agencies and those responsible for closing the dumpsite to open it for aboboyaa drivers to dump refuse collected from households across Accra.
According to the residents, the refuse collectors who dump waste at the site frequently patronize their businesses, meaning that these waste disposal activities have significantly improved local economic operations.
Furthermore, the residents warned that if the government continues to ban the dumpsite, it will negatively affect businesses and create youth unemployment, considering the thousands of young people who depend on the refuse collection business.
They are hopeful that national leaders will help these private operators sustain their businesses to improve the city’s overall sanitation.
The residents appealed to Mr. John Dramani Mahama, stating, “Mr. President, please, we are appealing to you to tell the national security agencies and the Chief of the Lafa Berima Stool to allow the refuse collectors to use the landfill site again.”
Furthermore, the residents warned that if the land at Mallam-Lafa is not designated as a refuse dumpsite, private developers will fill that stretch of land and build houses.
They raised an alarm that this could block access roads and waterways, causing severe flooding in the catchment areas.
They complained that portions of the land are being sold indiscriminately, and if the entire area is sold, prospective buyers will build structures that block access routes.
Concerned residents indicated that individuals in areas such as Achimota, Adenta, Madina, Kasoa, Dansoman, Awoshie, Sowutuom, Anyaa, Fan-Milk Ablekuma, Weija, and Gbawe generate refuse that is collected and transported to the Mallam-Lafa landfill site.
The concerned residents noted that the very people who are celebrating the closure of the Mallam-Lafa landfill site are the ones filling the land to sell to unsuspecting buyers for construction.
“Some of the individuals sabotaging the establishment of the dumpsite on the Mallam-Lafa land, near the Akweley Hospital, are the same people filling gutters, waterways, and the land of the current dumpsite at Mallam-Lafa to sell to land developers.
“This is what informs their decision to sabotage the creation of the dumpsite in the area,” the concerned residents disclosed.
The residents noted that, previously, unscrupulous individuals living in Weija, Gbawe, Mallam Junction, the Mallam-Lafa area, and Dansoman indiscriminately dumped refuse and waste materials into gutters and drains.
This practice caused severe flooding in these areas during periods of heavy rainfall.
However, according to the residents, since the creation of the Mallam-Lafa landfill site, these communities have not experienced the indiscriminate dumping of household waste into open gutters and drains.
The residents added that allowing refuse collectors to transport waste to the Mallam-Lafa landfill site has been highly beneficial in the country’s fight against poor environmental sanitation across these areas in Accra.
“What we are saying is that the government should allow the private operator of the Mallam-Lafa landfill site , Nii Atta Amu Dodoo to continue his work. We will face serious problems if the government continues to ban the dumpsite.
“If this happens, encroachers are going to fill the land, blocking the gutters and drains that lead into the landfill area. This will obstruct waterways and cause serious flooding during the rainy season,” the residents further raised alarms.
The residents also denied widespread media reports claiming that floodwaters from the area overflow into the Weija Lake.
They clarified that the Mallam-Lafa landfill site is far from the Weija Lake and that runoff flows toward seashore areas, including Dansoman, Aplaku, and Tettegu.
The residents explained that when the Lafa Stream floods, the water passes through gutters and drains into these coastal areas and does not enter the Weija Lake.
They added that it is actually the people currently filling the land for the landfill site who have blocked the access gutters, which prevents floodwaters from the Lafa Stream from passing through and causes havoc during heavy downpours in Accra.
Aboboyaa Riders Stranded In Accra
Saddle the unannounced closure of the dumpsite near the Akawie Hospital in the Weija-Gbawe Municipality has left thousands of ‘Aboboyaa’ (refuse tricycle) riders stranded.
On Thursday, June 18, 2026, the national security officials temporarily shut down the Lafa Berima unauthorized dumping site to curb the environmental and public health hazards.
This abrupt closure left thousands of Aboboyaa operators stranded, creating a massive traffic jam that stretched from the Ga Municipal Assembly Hospital to the Mallam Junction main bus stop.
Driver Frustrations
The President of Aboboyaa Drivers Association in Accra Mr Abibulai Abdulai expressed frustration over the sudden closure, noting that many operators had traveled from distant areas like Madina, Adenta, Kasoa, Osu, and Dansoman, only to find the site shut down without prior notice.
The drivers warned that if authorities do not provide an alternative dumping location, they might take matters into their own hands.
“We came here to dispose of our refuse at the dumping site between 6:30 am and 7:00 am, but the facility was closed,” the operators told journalists.
They emphasized our urgent plea for Nii Lafa to speak with the National Security operatives, requesting them to unlock the site for our waste disposal. Furthermore, we are looking into securing an alternative dumping ground for the future
