While Ghana produces 3,000 tonnes of plastic waste every day, most of which ends up in rivers, two projects by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and Global Affairs Canada will help combat plastic pollution and implement several sustainable development goals (SDGs) in this West African country.
According to Ghana’s Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, “both projects are in line with Ghana’s 2018 National Plastics Management Policy, which calls for the application of circularity principles in the management of plastic waste. Kwaku Afriyie said this at the official launch of the Circular Economy Centre and the Plastic Waste Management Programme in the capital Accra.
Supported by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and Global Affairs Canada, a department of the Canadian federal government, these initiatives will support many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) engaged in waste management and environmental conservation in Ghana.
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According to UNIDO’s representative in Ghana and Liberia, Fakhruddin Azizi, the two projects will contribute to the achievement of several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the West African country. These include SDG 5 on gender equality, SDG 9 on innovation and infrastructure, and SDG 13 on climate action.
According to Yougbare Ibrahim, a member of the National Association of Plastic Recyclers, Ghana recycles only 3% of its plastic waste. This observation motivated entrepreneur Nelson Boateng to launch his start-up Netplast in 2013 in the Kpone Katamanso municipality. The company recycles nearly a ton of plastic bags a day to make paving stones for road repairs. These paving stones are obtained by mixing plastic bags with 20% sand and are then sold at $1 each.
Benoit-Ivan Wansi
