The International Alliance of Waste Pickers (IAWP) expresses its solidarity with waste pickers and working communities in Ghana who have recently been affected by demolitions, displacement, and loss of housing linked to land disputes and urban development processes.

These events have left families without shelter, destroyed personal belongings, and deepened conditions of insecurity and vulnerability for communities already facing difficult economic realities.

Waste pickers play a vital role in environmental protection, public health, and circular economies. Yet too often, the communities sustaining cities through their labour are the ones most exposed to displacement, land insecurity, and exclusion from decision-making processes that directly affect their lives.

This tragedy is not an isolated case. It reflects broader structural inequalities around land, housing, development, and access to justice that continue to impact working-class communities across many parts of the world.

We call for:

  • Fair and just treatment for all affected communities
  • Transparency and accountability in the processes that led to these demolitions
  • Stronger protections for workers and communities facing displacement and land insecurity
  • ⁠Inclusive development processes that respect human dignity, livelihoods, and housing rights

As a global alliance representing more than 500,000 waste pickers across 38 countries, we reaffirm that no worker or family should lose their home and security as a consequence of systemic injustice.

We stand with waste pickers in Ghana.
We stand for dignity, housing, and justice.

👉 Support this emergency fundraising campaign:

https://www.mchanga.africa/fundraiser/137941