The government is enlisting the help of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to tackle the country’s increasing waste management issues, especially those related to plastic waste.
This approach involves offering financial assistance and grants to SMEs engaged in recycling and other waste management ventures to promote a closed-loop system and create jobs.
Plastic waste continues to be a national problem. According to a report by ECO Media in 2024, Ghana generates approximately 0.84 million tons of plastic waste annually, with a yearly increase of 5.4%.
This rate is exacerbated by a 2.2% rise in plastic waste production per person annually, with plastic waste in water bodies projected to surge by 190% between 2020 and 2040, escalating from 78,000 to 228,000 tons per year.
Minister for Environment, Science and Technology, Mohammed Murtala, who oversaw the disbursement of about $300,000 to each of 10 selected SMEs, stressed that the government will strictly monitor the initiative.
“We should all be conscious and monitor how the monies will be utilised. I do not need a dollar or a cedi from you. You need to use the money for the intended purpose, and I will be doing the monitoring because this is just the first tranche,” he stated.
To succeed, this new move by the government will have to be treated with top priority to deal with this growing environmental challenge the country faces.
