Ghana has reached a milestone in the sustainable management of hazardous electronic waste, following the completion of the second phase of a national programme aimed at formalising and improving the country's e-waste recycling sector.
Dubbed “Sustainable Recycling Industries (SRI Il) Project, it delivered comprehensive interventions that would significantly advance the nation’s capacity to manage e-waste sustainably.
The programme, which was implemented by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) through the Ghana National Cleaner Production Centre, would deepen technical, institutional and policy frameworks by developing specialised guidelines for the environmentally sound management of Used Lead Acid Batteries, a critical hazardous waste stream.
The phase also extended direct business support to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), enabling them to engage in safer and more efficient recycling practices.
More benefits
Additionally, the project prioritises the informal sector by providing structured support and integrating its workers into formalised systems of recycling.
It also developed a sustainable e-waste recycling section within the Recycling Technology Curriculum of CTVET institutions, laying the groundwork for a skilled workforce.
The project was executed jointly with the Mountain Research Institute (MRI), the Institute for Material Science and Technology (EMPA), and the Oeko Institute.
It was carried out in collaboration with the World Resources Forum (WRF), with funding from the Swiss government under its State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).
Transformative impact
At the project’s closing ceremony held in Accra today recently, the Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, Dr Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, highlighted the transformative impact of the initiative on the country’s e-waste landscape.
He said when the project started in 2013, the country lacked proper policies and legislation for managing electronic waste, which contained toxic substances such as lead and mercury, posing serious health and environmental risks.
“It is worth mentioning the SRI project chart the course for the establishment of framework conditions for the environmentally sound management of e-waste.
This resulted in the development of technical guidelines for environmentally sound management of e-waste for the operationalisation of Act 917 and L.l. 2250,” he said.
Dr Muhammed also praised the project for creating safer jobs for the youth, protecting value chain workers, and supporting both environmental and economic sustainability.
He affirmed the government's continued commitment to working with international partners to ensure e-waste management aligned with key Sustainable Development Goals, urging all parties not to view the project's end as a conclusion, but as a foundation for ongoing progress towards a greener and safer future.
Mandate
In a speech read on her behalf, the Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of EPA, Professor Nana Ama Browne Klutse, emphasised that the project’s objectives strongly aligned with the EPA’s mandate to regulate and protect the environment, particularly through the management and disposal of hazardous and electronic waste.
She highlighted how the SRI project had directly enabled the authority to navigate the complexities of the e-waste sector by building capacity across the value chain, providing policy and technical support, and integrating e-waste recycling into vocational education.
