By Kodjo Adams
Accra, Oct. 27, GNA- The government has commissioned the newly built E-waste Handover Centre in Accra.
The facility will facilitate the process of recycling in line with global best practices.
Ms Ophelia Mensah Hayford, the Minister of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation, speaking at the commissioning, said the facility had led to an effective and safe collection of electronic waste.
Ms Hayford announced that the new centre had led to the collection of over 476.88 tonnes of e-waste cables, 37.03 tonnes of mixed batteries, 31.83 tonnes of thermoplastics and 87.00 sets of Cathode Ray Televisions.
“The facility is more than just a storage centre or collection point for e-waste; it also symbolises our commitment to protecting both our environment and public health.
The open burning of e-waste at Agbogbloshie in Accra has led to health issues and environmental degradation at both the national and international levels.
To address the issues, the German Government, through KfW in 2017, signed a separate financing agreement with Ghana, through the MESTI, to support the sustainable management of electronic waste to reduce the effects of environmental pollution and health risks.
The objective of the agreement is to serve as a pilot and provide lessons for the National E-waste System and operationalisation of Act 917.
It is also to provide the building blocks for the sound recycling and disposal of Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment in Ghana.
As part of the process of achieving the objectives, the project was to develop an incentive system for the collection and sound disposal of e-waste and also set up a Handover Centre.
Ms Hayford said since the inception of the project in 2018, significant strides have been made in addressing the issue of improper disposal of electronic waste.
She said the collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency and other key stakeholders had resulted in a system that incentivised safe e-waste disposal, creating over 450 green jobs and training more than 200 scrap dealers in safe handling of e-waste.
The centre, the Minister stressed, indicated government commitment to safeguarding public health and environmental sustainability aligning with the country’s Sustainable Development Goals.
“We remain committed to building national capacity, increasing collection of e-waste, promoting formal recycling systems, and working with key stakeholders to achieve a sustainable solution to Ghana’s e-waste challenges,” she said.
GNA