Stakeholders in the waste management value chain have called for deepened collaboration and commitment among key actors to promote sustainable waste management and circular economy in Ghana. This call was made at the maiden Ghana Waste Fair organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with the Coca Cola Foundation and the Ghana National Plastic Action Partnership under the Waste Recovery Platform.

Speaking at the Fair, the Resident Representative of UNDP Ghana, Dr. Angela Lusigi urged all to leverage inclusive partnerships to mobilise support to help in the scaling up of innovative solutions for sustainable waste management. She further called on stakeholders to recognize the urgency of environmentally sound waste management as a gateway to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and take action for the prosperity of people and the planet.

‘It is time to make the right choices for equitable and lasting prosperity for all people across generations by prioritising waste prevention, reduction, recycling, and re-use”, Dr. Lusigi added.

The Chief Director at the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation, Ms. Cynthia Asare Bediako underscored the importance of sustainable waste management to job creation and urged all stakeholders, especially households to actively participate in the waste management agenda.

‘’The time to make good use of our abundant resources is now. We must therefore deepen our partnerships across all sectors to support innovations that will transform waste management into a profitable venture’’, Ms. Asare Bediako stated.

Key actors in the waste value chain underscored the need for a policy intervention to support innovation in the waste management ecosystems that will motivate more people and companies to find innovative solutions for sustainable waste management and promote circular economy.

‘’Whilst we do our best as individuals and companies to solve the waste problem through our innovations, government should incentivize us with tax exemptions and other support to enable us scale up for a deepened impact’’, noted Matilda Payne Boakye-Ansah, Founder of MH Couture and Extreme Upcycle, who was a panelist.

The stakeholders also highlighted the need for an inclusive policy making processes to allow innovators and waste collectors at the grassroot level to make inputs towards waste management policies.

Exhibitors at the fair expressed their satisfaction and called for sustained efforts to build more partnerships for an improved waste management system in Ghana.

‘’This fair has been a great platform for us to showcase the potential of waste recycling. Apart from the huge sales we have made here, we have also built some partnerships that we are going to leverage to scale up our business’’, stated Amos Gbortse Kokoti, Operations Manager of Fibre Wealth, a company recycling coconut husk into organic fertilizer.

The Ghana Waste Fair 2021 brought together over 300 stakeholders to dialogue and share ideas on how innovation can be leveraged to promote sustainable waste management in Ghana.