Examining the Institutional Arrangements Regarding Public Private Partnership in Solid Waste Management in Ghana: From the Perspective of Sunyani Municipality

Abstract

Solid waste management is one of the major issues facing most countries globally. It represents a major economic and environmental issue in most nations including Ghana. The government of Ghana has adopted public private partnership (PPP) as a solution for solid waste management given the herculean nature of the waste management task in terms of finance and technical expertise. Through qualitative research approach, this study sought to interrogate the institutional arrangement put in place for PPP in the Sunyani Municipality using 32 respondents made up of key officers including staff of the Waste Management Department, and Assembly members. Semi-structured interview and non-participant observation were the instruments used whilst content and thematic analyses were used for the study. The study found that the institutional arrangement for PPP in the Sunyani Municipality was weak. However, it was established that solid waste management in the municipality was guided by national laws on environmental health and bye-laws of the Assembly. With respect to resources in the implementation of PPP, the study found that, even though the private partner had some resources, they were not enough for the proper management of solid waste in the Municipality under a PPP arrangement. The study recommends the strengthening of institutional arrangement such as monitoring, sanctioning of poor performance and the formulation of bye-laws by the Assembly to ensure successful PPP arrangement.