Prez. Akufo-Addo to take a decisive stance on plastics ban

• Posted on June 4, 2019
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

President Akufo-Addo has promised that his government will soon come out with a definite position on a possible ban on the manufacture of plastics in the country.

The debate about a possible ban on the plastics came up strongly in the first year of the Akufo Addo government.

Local plastic manufacturers have however cautioned government on the consequences of an outright ban.

Speaking at a forum where he hosted the Norwegian Prime Minister in Accra, President Akufo-Addo said the government will “very soon” announce a position on the matter.

A group of citizens recently petitioned President Nana Akufo-Addo to place a progressive ban on plastics.

The group, the Green Advocates Alliance, urged the President to begin the ban by September 2019.

The group, in a petition, said the ban would be a demonstration of the government’s commitment to making Accra the cleanest city in Africa.

Kenya and Tanzania are among 60 other countries that have banned or partially banned single-use plastic bags.

They have also made a formal commitment to phase out single-use non-biodegradable plastics.

The non-biodegradable plastics have been identified by the United Nations as one of the world’s biggest environmental challenges.

Of the 9 billion tonnes of plastic the world has produced, only 9 percent has been recycled, the U.N. has estimated.

By Marian Ansah