Editorial: Plastic waste a national crisis

The Environmental Sustainability Summit (ESS) 2025 – organised by B&FT with the theme ‘Ending plastic waste in Ghana: A sustainable future for all’ – opened yesterday at the Alisa Hotel in Accra.

It drew together leading figures from academia, civil society, the private sector and international development organisations to confront the growing plastic waste crisis facing the country.

The summit arrives at a time of intensifying public concern over the nation’s environmental resilience and waste management capacity. The World Bank estimates that Ghana generates approximately 1.1 million tonnes of plastic waste annually – yet recycles only five percent of that volume.

Meanwhile, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has reported that over 250,000 tonnes of plastic waste leak into the environment each year, contributing to severe flooding in urban areas, blocking drainage systems and polluting freshwater resources.

The issue is so dire that it has recently drawn national political attention. President John Dramani Mahama, speaking at the National Tree Planting Day launch, announced government’s intention of banning single-use plastics altogether.

“I am informing manufacturers and importers of Styrofoam that the Ministry of Environment is soon going to ban the importation and production of Styrofoam in Ghana,” the president stated.

Dr. Murtala Muhammed, Minister of Environment, Science & Technology, graced the occasion as special guest of honour.  Speakers included Yaw Attah Arhin, the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Technical Specialist at World Vision Ghana; Dr. Rosemary Akolaa, a senior academic at the University of Environment & Sustainable Development; and Professor Chris Gordon, Environmental Scientist and former Director-Institute for Environment and Sanitation Studies at the University of Ghana, among others.

The summit was supported by a coalition of corporate sponsors including the Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company Limited (BOST), Jospong Group of Companies, Access Bank Ghana, World Vision, The Bank Hospital, HR Certification Centre and Unilever Ghana.

it is hoped that the summit might influence policy and forms part of the newspaper’s broader strategy to convene critical stakeholders around urgent policy and development issues.

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