Skip to main content

Multi-Stakeholder Waste Resource Platform” Initiative launched for Ghana..1st In News.

Multi-Stakeholder Waste Resource Platform” Initiative launched for Ghana".


The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) launched a new initiative to promote waste recovery in Ghana, through the creation of  a digital and one-stop shop solutions platform that will connect all stakeholders along the waste management chain.


Speaking at the inception workshop, Ms. Gita Honwana Welch, UNDP Country Director emphasized the importance of effective waste management for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and encouraged stakeholders to view waste as a resource that present opportunities for economic development, job creation and technological innovation.


“We call on you to partner with us and start a journey that will see us working together in the coming months to co-design tools and solutions […] as we continuously think through the deliverables of this initiative to ensure that they adequately meet the expectation of all stakeholders, and offer the country the best way forward for waste recovery, in line with the national development agenda”, Ms. Welch stated.


The “Multi-Stakeholder Waste Resource Platform” initiative will facilitate investment and access to market, fill data gaps, build capacity of local government operators, raise visibility of service providers in the private sector, and increase awareness across society on the importance of sustainable waste management. In the medium and long term, it is envisaged that the digital platform will provide ready and consistent data that will serve as a basis for economic and policy decisions on waste management and resource recovery. In addition, the initiative will launch a national competition to provide technical and financial support to few projects that will test innovative waste recovery solutions.


The inception workshop brought together more than hundred participants from the waste management sector in Ghana. These include representations from government, private sector (recyclers, plastic manufacturers, waste collection associations and companies), academia, NGOs and media. The participants lauded the initiative and pledged to collaborate with UNDP to co-design the platform and its features (such as a mobile app), in what is going to be a continuously evolving and iterative process.


Mr. Oliver Boachie, Special Advisor to the Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, stated that “the Ministry is fully committed to ensure the success of this initiative, which clearly contributes to our policies and plans, like the National Plastics Management Policy currently being developed”.


Similarly, Ms. Kate Opoku, Country Leader of the NGO “Let’s Do it Ghana”, expressed excitement. “We are grateful to UNDP for coming up with this great initiative, that I believe will connect all of us in the waste sector to share ideas to enhance synergy”, noted Ms. Opoku.


The initiative is funded by a new facility called “Country Investment Facility” set up by the UNDP Administrator, Achim Steiner. The facility provides UNDP Country Offices with the opportunity to promote innovation and the use of technology as one of the most efficient and sustainable ways to expand the capabilities of people and communities.


Mr. Desmond Appiah, Chief Sustainability and Resilience Advisor at Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) also added that, as part of the effort to cut off waster materials in the country, the government of Ghana has instituted Sanitation Court which will deal with people who throws waste plastics and rubbers on the ground.


According to him, A.M.A has provided waste bins across the streets of Accra so if you refuse to put the waste plastics into the dustbins, the Sanitation volunteers will take you to court.


Dr. Dzidzo Yirenya-Tawiah, lecturer, Institute for Environment and Sanitation Studies at University of Ghana also advised Ghanaians to stop using plastic rubbers for their daily activities. 


She says, the country should go back to olden days where our parents and grandparents used baskets to buy items when going to market.


Story by: Bright Boadi, Journalist from Hot fm in Accra.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

NPP And NDC Playing "Chaskele" With EC... Rev Dr Worlanyo Mensah

  NPP And NDC Playing "Chaskele"  With EC... Rev Dr Worlanyo Mensah Tensions between Ghana's Electoral Commission (EC), National Democratic Congress (NDC), and New Patriotic Party (NPP) have escalated over alleged discrepancies in the 2024 voter register. Rev Dr Samuel Worlanyo Mensah, vice presidential candidate for the All People's Congress (APC), economist and a lecture at Wisconsin university Accra, has warned that the NDC and NPP's actions during the limited voter registration and special transfer of vote exercise have compromised the register's integrity. "The two major parties were bussing people from their homes to registration centers, encouraging minors and foreigners to register," Dr. Worlanyo alleged. The NDC recently raised concerns upon receiving the provisional voters register, citing bloated electoral rolls in certain polling stations and alleged attempts by the EC to rig the December 7 polls in favor of the governing NPP. In res...

NPP Government Shortchanges Cocoa Farmers: A Closer Look at the Discrepancies....Twifo Atti-Morkwa NDC Communication Officer.

NPP Government Shortchanges Cocoa Farmers: A Closer Look at the Discrepancies.... Twifo Atti-Morkwa NDC Communication Officer. In recent years, Ghana's cocoa farmers have faced significant disparities in the payments they receive for their hard work. A comparison of current cocoa pricing practices under the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government with those from the era of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) highlights a troubling trend: farmers are being shortchanged, while the government profits disproportionately. As of today, the global market price for cocoa stands at $6,470 per ton. With an exchange rate of Ghc 16.35 to $1, this translates to Ghc 105,784.50 per ton in Ghanaian cedis. Given that one ton comprises 16 bags, this sets the price per bag at Ghc 6,611.00. However, the current government pays cocoa farmers only Ghc 3,000 per ton—just 45.39% of the total price—retaining the remaining 54.61%, or Ghc 3,609.52 per ton. In stark contrast, under the NDC government led by J...

Galamsey Fight: Government Must Tread Carefully to Avoid Judgement Debt -- Rev Dr. Worlanyo Mensah

  Galamsey Fight: Government Must Tread Carefully to Avoid Judgement Debt -- Rev Dr. Worlanyo Mensah The Vice Presidential Candidate of the All Peoples Congress (APC) and renowned economist, Rev Dr. Worlanyo Mensah, has cautioned the government to exercise restraint in addressing illegal mining activities, popularly known as "galamsey." Dr. Mensah warned that hasty actions, driven by calls from Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), could lead to substantial judgement debts. "Many Ghanaians are advocating for drastic measures, including 'shoot and kill' operations and burning excavators at galamsey sites, under the guise of executive directives, which lack legal backing," Dr. Mensah said. While acknowledging the need to stop illegal mining, Dr. Mensah emphasized that such actions must be grounded in law to achieve their intended purpose. "The government must not forget that foreign and local mining firms with prospective mining licenses from the Ministry o...