e-Waste Stakeholder Consultation seeks to better of e-Waste Management in Ghana

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in cooperation with the Sustainable Recycling Industries (SRI) project completed the development of Technical Guidelines on Environmentally Sound E-Waste Management for Collectors, Collection Centres,

Transporters, Treatment Facilities and Final Disposal in Ghana in February 2018. Together, these national instruments stipulate the duties of various stakeholders with respect to every undertaking in the field of collection, storage, transportation, treatment and final disposal of ewaste in Ghana and seek to transform the e-waste management sector towards a Circular

Economy.

To facilitate this transition, various donor agencies have mobilised funding to implement several cooperation projects: the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) is supporting a Technical and Financial Cooperation on Environmentally Sound Disposal and Recycling of E-waste in Ghana (E-Waste Programme), which is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) together with the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI).

Further, the European Commission is funding the E-MAGIN Ghana project (E-waste Management in Ghana: From Grave to Cradle) under its SWITCH Africa Green programme implemented by University of Cape Coast, Ghana National Cleaner Production Centre, City Waste Recycling and Adelphi.

Lastly, the Swiss State Secretariat of Economic Affairs (SECO) recently initiated the next phase of the Sustainable Recycling Industries (SRI) programme which will continue its work in the Ghanaian e-waste sector and is jointly implemented by the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa), the World Resources Forum (WRF) and ecoinvent. At this year’s West African Clean Energy and Trade Conference & Fair (WACEE), hosted by the German Foreign Chamber of Commerce (AHK), the E-Waste Programme, E-MAGIN and SRI jointly organized the E-waste Stakeholder Consultation Forum 2019. The event opened up discussions about the future of e-waste management in Ghana and emphasized on finding synergies between various on-going projects.

The Event was visited by around 100 people from various fields directly or indirectly related to E-Waste. From Producers to Recyclers from the Formal and the Informal Sector, Innovation Hubs working to educate youth about the e-waste challenge, Policy Makers and Authorities to international e-waste Experts, everyone joined the lively discussions about the future of E-Waste Management in the Country.

Some of the keynote speakers of the day included the Ambassador of the European Union and Head of the European Delegation to Ghana, Mrs. Diana Acconcia. In her welcome address, she said: “The European Union is committed to continue supporting waste management in Ghana, and not only the electronic waste. Waste management is a problem that needs to be addressed in Ghana and we will look for possible solutions to overcome the challenges, together with the Government institutions and private partners”. Hon. Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, H.E Kwabena Frimpong- Boateng, stressed in his Opening Remarks the dedication of the Ghanaian Government and its German Partners to improve the e-waste situation in the country.

Markus Spitzbart from the German Development Cooperation (GIZ) Ghana also said it was essential to create interfaces between the different projects in order to strengthen the e-waste sector in the country.

Source: goldstreetbusiness.com