In a major step towards sustainable waste management, the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MEST) has launched a $7 million project to advance Ghana’s transition to a circular economy in the plastics sector.

The initiative, known as the Circular Economy Framework for the Plastics Sector (CEF-PS), is being implemented under the National Plastic Management Policy, which was approved by Cabinet in 2020. The project is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and executed by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).

Ghana currently generates an estimated 840,000 tonnes of plastic waste annually, with only about 9.5 percent recycled. The remainder often ends up in drains, open spaces, or marine environments—posing serious risks to ecosystems and contributing to urban flooding.

The CEF-PS project aims to reverse this trend by recovering at least 93,000 tonnes of plastic waste, preventing 13,000 tonnes of marine litter, and training over 2,000 stakeholders on circular economy practices over the next five years.

As part of implementation efforts, MEST has disbursed an initial $331,606 to 10 selected small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to pilot innovative plastic waste solutions. In total, $4.35 million has been earmarked to support SMEs in biodegradable plastics production, food-grade recycling, construction-grade recycling, and community-based waste collection.

The beneficiary SMEs include: Coliba Waste Management Services Ltd, McKingtorch Africa, Nelplast Eco Ghana Ltd, Integrated Recycling and Compost Plant (IRECOP)/Zoomlion, Maintenance Sustainability Africa, UPPR, Pure Home Water, Consortium (Asase), Consortium (Sesa) and Consortium (City Waste Recycling)

Speaking at the launch on Thursday, April 10, the Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Murtala Mohammed, urged the beneficiary SMEs to ensure proper use of funds and commit fully to the project’s objectives.

“I will monitor to see how the monies are utilized. I don't need a dollar, a cedi from any of you. You need to use the money for the purpose for which it was intended. And I'll take particular interest in the monitoring”, he said.

He also emphasised that there would be consequences of exit from the program if funds are not properly utilized.

“But trust me, don't be messy. If you are not using the money for which it was intended, don't go and ask any big man to call me, because I would insist that they take you out".

Strategic Partners and Project Engagement Lead, Joseph Yeboah, representing the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation, also outlined critical components of the intervention.

The pilot projects that the project is supporting are aligned to three key pillars, which are, first of all, the prevention of pollution of the environment, and decoupling plastic production from fossil fuels. And then creating an effective after-use economy for plastics. And when you look at the nature of the activities that all these companies are going to implement, they fall within these three areas”.

In addition to waste recovery, the project is expected to generate more than 10,000 direct and indirect jobs, especially in underserved communities, while enhancing the economic viability of sustainable plastics management.