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Environmentalists and policymakers from West African countries have converged on Accra for a consultative workshop on the development of a comprehensive action plan on plastics management and circular economy
The workshop, which is being spearheaded by the World Bank, will discuss and develop cohesive strategies that are actionable at both the national and regional levels to aid the transition towards a circular economy.
The two-day meeting, which opened yesterday (September 16), is also targeted at exploring the harmonisation of existing and new plastic management policies across member states to enhance regional collaboration and effectiveness.
It has brought together technocrats and policymakers from Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Guinea, The Gambia, Togo, Cote d'Ivoire, Sierra Leone, and Burkina Faso, among others.
The participants, who are drawn from both state and non-state institutions, will use the workshop as a platform to review the draft plastic action plan document prepared for the management of plastic waste in the sub-region so that the feedback can be incorporated to improve it.
The Operations Manager at the World Bank for Ghana, Sierra Leone and Liberia, Michelle C. Keane, said the consultative workshop was a timely move given that plastic pollution remained one of the biggest environmental challenges confronting the world and the West African region in particular.
"As West African economies grow, so does the concerning surge of plastic waste in our rivers and along our coastline. Plastic pollution severely impacts West Africa's economy, lives and livelihoods with estimated costs ranging from $10,000 to $33,000 per tonne of plastic waste," she said.
Again, she said fisheries, aquaculture, marine tourism, waterfront property, biodiversity and ecosystems were vulnerable to plastic pollution as they faced estimated social damages of $2,000 to $7,000 per tonne of plastic waste.
Ms Keane stressed that the enormous challenge of plastic waste called for united efforts in plastic management and the circular economy, with active public and private sector participation.
She said the World Bank was committed to helping West African countries to scale that challenge, as exemplified by the institution's support to work on plastic management and the circular economy in sub-region.
"We have supported technical assistance for policy reforms aimed at adequately taxing plastic products and holding producers accountable for the entire life cycle of their items across various countries.
"We are also championing initiatives such as establishing standards for recycled Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire, conducting recycling pilots for fishing nets in Liberia, and designing Extended Producer Responsibility schemes in Nigeria, Ghana and Sierra Leone," she said.
The World Bank manager said the focus was on increasing awareness and involving citizens in waste management and empowering them to take ownership of their environment.
The acting Director of Environment and Natural Resources at ECOWAS, Bernard Koffi, said it was important for all stakeholders in the public and private sectors to support the development of the plastic action plan to help address the challenge of ocean pollution to create more jobs.
He said improper management of plastic had dire health consequences for humanity and also posed serious threat to the environment.
Plastic pollution poses a severe environmental challenge globally, and particularly in West Africa, exacerbated by rising urbanisation, population growth and economic development.
Despite having a lower per capita plastic-waste generation compared to more developed regions, West Africa contributes significantly to ocean plastic pollution, projected to become the largest source of mismanaged plastic waste globally by 2060.
Addressing the issue is complicated by inadequate policy frameworks, lack of infrastructure, insufficient financial resources, and poor enforcement of existing regulations.
The plan is intended to enhance the capacity of member states to manage plastic waste effectively and foster a circular economy, aligning with ongoing global environmental initiatives.
The objective of the project is to support ECOWAS and the WAEMU in the preparation of a Regional Action Plan on Plastic Management and Circular Economy.
The action plan will be used by countries, regional institutions and development partners such as the World Bank to address the enormous challenge of plastic pollution in the region.
