WEST AFRICA – The Speaker of the Economic Community of West African States’ Parliament (ECOWAS Parliament), Hadja Mémounatou Ibrahima, has attributed the region’s plastic waste issues to inadequate infrastructure for collecting, sorting, and processing plastic waste.
Speaking at the opening of the delocalized meeting of the Joint Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and Natural Resources/Energy, Mining, and Infrastructure in Winneba, Ghana, she also pointed to a lack of public awareness as a significant factor, warning that plastic waste pollution could severely impact food security in the region.
Despite various efforts by different authorities to tackle the issue, ECOWAS is still struggling to eradicate plastic waste from urban, rural, and marine environments.
Ibrahima emphasized the environmental threat posed by plastic waste, describing it as a hindrance to economic development and a public health concern due to increased risks of illness linked to pollution and contamination of water resources.
“At an international level, in addition to the numerous conventions adopted to combat climate change, awareness of the many negative impacts of plastic waste on the environment and human and animal health has led the international community to institute a ‘World Plastic Bag Free Day’ in 2010, celebrated every year on July 3,” she said.
At the community level, ECOWAS has adopted a community policy for managing plastic waste, aiming to promote the reduction, recycling, and recovery of plastic waste while ensuring responsible management of non-recyclable waste.
Several ECOWAS Member States, including Togo, Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Niger, Gambia, and Senegal, have adopted legislation to regulate the plastics sector.
Additionally, ECOWAS has implemented regulations to harmonize the environmentally sound management of plastic waste across Member States.
Describing West Africa as a region with vibrant cultures and exceptional natural resources, Ibrahima expressed concern over the significant environmental challenges posed by plastic waste.
“ECOWAS generates around 17 million tonnes of plastic waste annually, of which only 10 percent is recycled. This lack of proper management leads to an accumulation of plastic waste in the environment, polluting our oceans, rivers, and soils, and threatening biodiversity,” she stated.
She called for collective action and collaboration to propose effective solutions for plastic waste management.
Ibrahima stressed the need for innovative and sustainable solutions in light of these challenges.
“I am confident in the participants’ expertise at this meeting to propose solutions that will enable us to meet our current needs without compromising those of future generations,” she said.
“It is vital that the Parliament calls on Member States to invest massively in research and development, encourage technological innovation in recycling and recovery of plastic waste, and strengthen the capacities of local players in the responsible management of plastic waste.”
Ibrahima also highlighted the importance of adapting school curricula to include compulsory climate change and plastic waste management subjects to prepare future generations for these challenges better.
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