Ghana’s President, Akuffo Addo launches a national initiative to ban using plastic in the country

The launching which came off on Tuesday, October 1, 2019, is geared towards addressing and managing the environmental impact of plastic waste in the country.

According to him, the menace of plastic pollution, one of the most pressing challenges facing the world, was a threat to the survival of the human race and “that is why confronting this challenge demands the active partnership and cooperation of all nations.”

Ghana, he said, with the launch of the national programme, was taking “a historic step forward in our environmental stewardship, our sustainable growth, and our vision for the future.”

He, hence, tasked the Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation to develop a strategy to combat the challenges with the management of plastics.

The Ghana National Plastic Action Partnership (NPAP), a collaboration with the Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP), will tackle the leakage of plastic into Ghana’s oceans and waterways.

GPAP, an alliance with the World Economic Forum, aims to tackle the pollution of the planet from plastics by engaging governments, regional bodies, international organizations, businesses, as well as civil society organizations to avert the growth in global plastic pollution by 2025.

The GPAP is supported by the governments of Canada and the United Kingdom, the Coca Cola Company, Pepsi Cola and Nestle. With Ghana formally joining the GPAP, it has become the first African nation and the second country to align with the initiative to eradicate plastic waste and pollution worldwide.

The gathering was attended by individuals and organisations which included sustainable development advisers, policymakers, business leaders, youth representatives, entrepreneurs and waste management experts.