Here are 5 lessons from Ghana's fight against plastic pollution

The last two decades have characterized consistent and significant economic growth and political stability for Ghana, so it is not surprising that it is considered a successful democracy within the West African sub-region. With a population of over 29 million people, the country’s economic and political advancements have coincided with the tremendous increase in the production and consumption of plastic products, especially single-use plastics, used within municipalities.

Plastic pollution is a major environmental problem with dire effects on marine and terrestrial ecosystems.

Pollution in Ghana is caused mainly by a lack of plastic waste management infrastructure for collection, sorting and recycling. Insufficient financing and support mechanisms to attract scaled investment create barriers towards building and maintaining these facilities. Improper disposal of plastic waste by locals also contributes to the problem.

It is estimated that Ghana generates around 0.84 million tonnes of municipal plastic waste annually, increasing by 5.4% annually. Population is the first catalyst, with plastic waste growing 2.2% per annum alongside a 3.4% increase in per capita plastic consumption. Despite significant government, industry and civil society commitments to address their environmental impacts, plastic leakage into the country’s water bodies is projected to grow by 190% between 2020 and 2040, from approximately 78,000 tonnes per year to 228,000 tonnes per year.

That’s why, under the leadership of the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, the Ghana National Plastic Action Partnership (NPAP) was established as the platform for multi-stakeholder cooperation.

To empower governments to measure, evaluate and address their national plastic pollution challenges in a structured, systemic way, GPAP developed a baseline and measuring tool deployed in multiple countries, including Ghana. The tool facilitates multi-stakeholder alignment and decision-making for forming evidence-based national plastic action partnerships and frameworks to tackle the forecasted leakage impacts.

As we’ve seen, the demand for national action plans on plastics is increasing with recent Global Plastics Treaty developments; countries must be prepared with the relevant capabilities and enabling environments – the NPAP’s multi-stakeholder platform fosters this.

Plastic pollution is a problem that needs to involve the entire value chain – producers, consumers, collectors, etc. That’s why policy alone cannot achieve the solution – it requires a concerted effort through multi-stakeholder inclusion.

So, after three years of efforts in Ghana, here are some key takeaways for other countries looking to pursue a similar model:

As we approach a critical milestone of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, it is reassuring to see a zero draft ready in time.

With National Action Plans firmly considered one of many viable solutions, we must take note of the opportunities, challenges and lessons learned to ensure the most comprehensive and informed decisions are made through multi-stakeholder action.