COVID-19: Zoomlion spends Ghc1m to disinfect universities

21st April 2020

Waste management giant, Zoomlion Ghana Limited, has earmarked over GHc1million to provide free disinfection services to public institutions.

Following the successful disinfection exercises at all markets and lorry terminals in 13 regions, the company has decided to zoom into public and vulnerable institutions to disinfect them at zero cost to them.

Already, the Akropong School for the Blind, the Mampong School for the Deaf, the Dzowulu Special School and the Judicial Service have benefited from the free exercise.

Mrs Lola Asiseh Ashitey, the coordinator of the project, while addressing journalists, said her outfit was carrying out the spraying exercise at the University of Ghana (UG) and the University of Professional Studies Accra (UPSA) adding, “it was to make the places safe for students when they return.

“Zoomlion is spending over GHc1 million on the spraying exercise that we are doing

“Now this particular project is a partnership between Zoomlion and Citi FM that is targeted at doing disinfection for all public universities and some private universities.”

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Our free gift

Mrs Ashitey explained further that, “the purpose is to get the places ready because we know at Zoomlion that this will pass, but when it passes, we want to make sure that when students return to campus, the place will be safe enough for them.

“If anybody came here with an infection, this place is now disinfected. The place is safe enough for them. It is our mission, it is our free gift to the nation, and it is pursuant to the call by the President to have corporate institutions also come together to fight the virus.”

CSR project

The project coordinator, however, clarified that the free exercise was her outfit’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) aimed at contributing to the national fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

“What we did with the 13 regions was a partnership between Zoomlion and the Ministry of Local Government, but this is a CSR activity that we are doing for free.”

50% Discount

She called on corporate institutions which want their outfit disinfected to engage them for a 50% discount.

“Now we are saying that even with corporate institutions who also want the same service, we can give to them at 50%.

“The mission is to fight the pandemic and Ghana will be free from it very soon.”

She said the exercise was projected to be executed within a week, adding, “we have workers in all the regions and we have over 3000 spraying crew that are on standby to do it for other regions.”

Media partnership

Mr Samuel Atta Mensah, the Chief Executive Officer of Citi FM, also said the objective was to be in tune with the national call to disinfect public places.

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“Zoomlion on their own are doing other public areas like the law court, public libraries and markets. But we brought the idea that the universities and the polytechnics also tend to have a large concentration of people so why don’t we look at that while they are home, which they agreed.

“So we decided to come together and also urge them to call other media houses to come on board. We are doing this together as media partnering Zoomlion.”

He said Zoomlion’s intervention now is key and that “what Zoomlion are doing here in Ghana is not different from what the outside world is doing in terms of fighting the virus.”

“They have standard equipment,” he stressed.

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UG Prof hails exercise

Prof. Charles Kofi Nti, Director of Physical Development & Municipal Services Directorate (PDMSD) at the University of Ghana, also expressed gratitude to Zoomlion for the disinfection, saying “it’s a good thing.”

He said the University has a population of over 40, 000 with half of them being residents, but due to the pandemic, all of them had been released to their families.

He also stressed that his outfit was ready to welcome the students back if the government gave the green light.

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UPSA

Prof Abednego Feehi Okoe Amartey, the Vice-Chancellor of the UPSA, while commending Zoomlion for the initiative, appealed to them to extend the disinfection exercise to the various hostels used by students.

According to him, the school is always ready to receive their students and Zoomlion’s intervention was key, even though they also had their internal plans to fight the pandemic.

He said UPSA has a population of 14,200.

Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh