Accra: Ghana has successfully implemented the Sustainable Recycling Industries (SRI) project, establishing a robust foundation for sustainable e-waste management and achieving significant technical, policy, and institutional advancements across the value chain. At a ceremony marking the close of the decade-long initiative, Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, described the project as a turning point in the nation’s efforts to tackle the growing e-waste threat.
According to Ghana News Agency, the SRI Project was funded by the Government of Switzerland through the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO). It was launched at a time when Agbogbloshie, then West Africa’s largest informal e-waste site, was globally notorious for unsafe and unregulated processing practices. Dr. Muhammed, who is also the Member of Parliament for Tamale Central, noted that while digitalisation has brought socio-economic benefits, it has also increased hazardous waste from discarded electronic devices.
Ghana responded to the crisis by ratifying the Basel Convention and enacting the Hazardous and Electronic Waste Control Act, 2016 (Act 917), along with its Legislative Instrument (L.I. 2250). The SRI Project played a key role in operationalizing these laws. Phase II of the project included the development of technical guidelines for managing used lead-acid batteries, support for micro and small enterprises, and innovations in hazardous waste treatment such as co-processing used tyres.
The project also integrated sustainable e-waste recycling into the national Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) curriculum to strengthen local capacity. Madam Simone Giger, Ambassador of Switzerland to Ghana, Togo, and Benin, said the SRI Project laid the groundwork not only for e-waste reform but also for advancing circular economy practices in Ghana. She emphasized the importance of continuous innovation, stronger policy enforcement, and strategic partnerships.
In a speech read for her, Prof. Nana Ama Klutse, Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), stressed that e-waste was not only an environmental issue but also a major public health concern. She highlighted that toxic accumulation in informal hubs like Agbogbloshie posed serious risks to untrained youth recyclers and nearby communities.
Stakeholders agreed that the SRI Project marks a significant step in Ghana’s path towards environmental sustainability, job creation, and public health protection.