The Government has introduced a Ghana National Plastics Action Partnership (GNPAP) which is expected to address the growing plastic waste management menace in the country.

The strategy, however, will ensure that plastic waste will not find its way into the country’s marine bodies and will also make Ghana the first country in Africa and second in the world to adopt the initiative which is in partnership with the World Economic Forum (WEF), the Daily Guide reports.

President Akufo-Addo, speaking at the launch of the initiative on Tuesday, October 1, at Labadi Beach Hotel, acknowledged that the menace of plastic pollution has become one of the most pressing challenges facing mankind today.

‘’While the eventual outcome of the National Plastic Action Plan will be owned by the people of Ghana, it is expected to take a holistic view of the entire value chain of plastic waste management and it is my expectation that its example will contribute to the resolution of this problem on the African continent and be a shining example of the global achievements of the GNPAP,’’ he explained.

The President also indicated that confronting this challenge demands the active partnership and co-operation of all nations and reassured that his administration will form meaningful partnerships with all stakeholders to address the plastic pollution issue.

“When I took office in 2017, I requested the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, headed by its Minister, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, to develop an effective strategy to meet the challenges associated with the management of plastic waste in Ghana,” Akufo-Addo added.

Akufo-Addo used the occasion to acknowledge the continued efforts made by civil society organisations and the media to raise awareness of efficient waste management.

Waste management statistics in Ghana

A 2017 research by the Urban Planning sector of the United Nations Development Programme, revealed Ghana produces 1.7 million tonnes of plastic waste annually, which could be recycled to produce affordable and sustainable building materials.

It cited that Accra alone produced 300 tonnes of plastic waste in a day and estimated that less than two percent of the waste was recycled, however enormous opportunities could be brewed from the waste products.

The projection was based on the average production of one kilogramme of solid waste per person daily.