Across the world, the blue economy is under growing strain as marine pollution, climate change and unsustainable consumption erode the health of oceans that support food systems, jobs and coastal economies. Plastic waste, in particular, has emerged as one of the most visible and persistent threats, choking waterways, degrading marine habitats and undermining fisheries from Asia to Africa.
Global Director for Environment, Natural Resources and the Blue Economy at the World Bank, Valerie Hickey, says plastic pollution wreaks havoc on developing countries by degrading ecosystems on which the wealth of the poor depends, further eroding their chances of escaping poverty. She adds that plastic waste is also entering the blue food chain, endangering fisheries and the people who rely on fish for their nutrition.
In West Africa, where millions depend on the ocean for livelihoods and nutrition, the consequences are increasingly stark. Declining fish stocks, polluted coastlines and weakened marine ecosystems are placing mounting pressure on coastal communities and national economies, exposing the limits of regulation alone in addressing the crisis.
Ghana sits squarely within this challenge. As the country grapples with falling fish catches, rising marine pollution and growing strain on its blue economy, changing lifestyles, production and consumption patterns may prove as critical as policy enforcement in securing long term sustainability.
The consequences of this pollution were visible recently along Accra’s coastline, where Laboma Beach became a focal point of civic action as volunteers joined millions worldwide to mark World Cleanup Day 2025 by cleaning the beach and ridding it of plastic material. The exercise, led locally by Mayekoo, a Pan African social impact fundraising platform, with support from the Indian High Commission in Ghana and the Rotary Club of Accra Premier International, highlighted the growing environmental and economic costs of plastic waste to coastal communities.
These same concerns framed discussions away in New Delhi, where Dr Pankhuri Gaur, Assistant Professor in charge of global trade and blue economy at the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), told The High Street Journal during a visit by African journalists to the research body it was pertinent that developing countries collaborate to deal with the menace. The media familiarisation visit was facilitated by India’s Ministry of External Affairs.
Plastic Pollution and the Blue Economy Squeeze
Dr Gaur warned that plastic pollution and broader marine degradation pose direct threats to fisheries, coastal livelihoods and food security, particularly in developing economies such as Ghana, where fishing remains both an economic pillar and a social safety net.
“Marine pollution, plastics entering the oceans and ocean acidification are all affecting fish stocks and other sea animals,” she said. “There is enormous potential in the oceans that we do not even fully understand yet, but we are destroying it.”
In Ghana, plastic waste continues to choke waterways, beaches and nearshore ecosystems, intensifying pressure on artisanal fishing communities. The depletion of fish stocks has already fuelled social tensions, illegal fishing practices and rising dependence on imported fish protein.
In response, Ghana has taken steps to strengthen plastic waste governance, becoming the first country to join the Global Plastic Action Partnership in 2019. The initiative aims to advance sustainable plastic waste management through coordinated public private action.
Alongside government measures, citizen driven efforts are gaining traction. Community groups and civil society organisations are increasingly involved not only in collecting data on marine litter, but also in removing waste and raising awareness, an approach mirrored in initiatives such as the Laboma Beach cleanup.
India’s Lifestyle for Sustainability Model
India’s response to plastic pollution offers a complementary perspective. Rather than relying solely on bans, fines or environmental levies, the country is promoting what Dr Gaur described as a lifestyle for sustainability, a policy philosophy driven by behavioural change alongside regulation.
“We are trying to change lifestyles themselves,” she said. “Sustainable consumption and sustainable production, how we consume and how industries produce, both have to change.”
India has reduced the use of single use plastics through a mix of regulation and public engagement, recognising that climate change and environmental degradation do not respect national borders.
“Climate change is not affecting just one country. It is affecting everybody,” Dr Gaur said.
That message was echoed in Accra during the World Cleanup Day activities. Speaking to The High Street Journal, India’s High Commissioner to Ghana, Manish Gupta, said the cleanup formed part of a global movement demanding urgent attention to solid waste management, particularly plastics.
He pointed to India’s Swachh Tahi Seva campaign, championed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which seeks to embed cleanliness and sustainability as everyday habits rather than one off projects.
“In India, we have banned single use plastics. We encourage reusable cloth bags, discourage bottled plastic water, and even recycle plastics for road construction,” Mr Gupta said. “Small steps, when taken consistently, can create monumental change.”
Lessons for Ghana
Ghana has introduced measures requiring industries to contribute financially toward pollution control. Dr Gaur, however, questioned whether such approaches risk entrenching a system in which wealthier firms simply absorb the cost and continue polluting.
“That means the industries that are well to do only have to pay and still continue to pollute,” she said. “One would ask, to what end?”
For Ghana’s fisheries and plastics challenge, she argued, sustainability must come from changes in production methods, consumption patterns and industrial incentives, rather than treating pollution as a cost of doing business.
Citizen led initiatives offer an alternative pathway. Through the International Coastal Cleanup programme coordinated by Ocean Conservancy, community groups in Ghana have adopted a standardised methodology to collect and categorise marine litter. The data feeds into the Trash Information Data for Education and Solutions database, the world’s largest publicly accessible repository of ocean trash data.
Operating in 155 countries, the platform allows Ghana to tackle local pollution hotspots while contributing to global monitoring efforts, particularly toward achieving Sustainable Development Goal 14 on life below water.
Development and Sustainability in the Global South
Dr Gaur acknowledged that developing economies face a more complex challenge than advanced nations, which industrialised first and are now pivoting toward sustainability.
“For countries like India and in Africa and all developing countries, we need to focus on development plus sustainability,” she said, noting that it was a tough task but it was important to sustain
but she called for the global south to work more closely stressed the role of technology and financing in closing the sustainability gap.
According to her, cleaner production methods, good waste management systems and alternatives to plastics require investment that many developing countries cannot mobilise alone.
Emerging tools such as the Earth Challenge Marine Litter Data Integration Platform, which aggregates data from multiple citizen science initiatives including the Ocean Conservancy database, demonstrate how shared data and technology can support evidence based policy and coordinated global action.
A Difficult Path With Cautious Optimism
Asked whether the global fight against plastic pollution can be won, Dr Gaur remained cautiously hopeful.
“I hope so. Otherwise there is nothing left for future generations, only pollution,” she said. “It will be a tough path, but everyone has to work together.”
For Ghana, where fisheries underpin jobs, food security and coastal economies, the message is clear. Sustaining the blue economy will require more than enforcement. It will demand a rethink of how society consumes, produces and values the ocean, reinforced by citizen action at home and lessons drawn from partners such as India.
