The Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI) has developed a Circular Economy Roadmap and Action Plan to foster strong alignment between academia and civil society.
This would focus on the vision, goals and actions required for Ghana to achieve a just transition to the circular economy.
The Minister, Dr Kwaku Afriyie, disclosed this at a seminar organized by the European Union on Thursday in Accra.
He stated that the roadmap enables the government to identify the priority sectors of the economy where a circular economy would maximize national output, ensure sustainability and encourage stakeholder involvement.
He expressed the hope that the roadmap would spark inspiration for innovation, collaboration and lead to the achievement of long-term and sustainable success.
Dr Afriyie stated that in addition to the Roadmap and Action Plan, the government was also undertaking a project to establish a Circular Economy Framework for Plastics in Ghana.
“This project is being implemented with funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), with UNIDO as the Implementing Agency and MESTI as the Executing Agency. The project started late last year and spans 5 years. In addition to several key components such as policy reforms, standards, regulations and their enforcement, there are components for Education & Awareness Creation, Waste Management, Technology Transfer and Informal Sector Integration,” he added.
He highlighted the key role Ghana was playing in the global effort to negotiate an international legally binding instrument on plastics pollution in the marine environment.
“It is very important to note that the UNEA Resolution that established the committee to negotiate the treaty has established circular economy as the foundation on which the full life-cycle management of plastics must be based. Ghana has demonstrated our commitment to a circular economy through our participation as one of the countries that have led this process from the beginning to this stage, where our country has been appointed as chair and spokesperson for the Africa Group of Negotiators,” he noted.
Irene Wirekoaa Osei, ISD
