Christoph Retzlaff -German Ambassador to Ghana
Germany and Ghana have decided to strengthen their cooperation in the field of electronic waste management and recycling. Seeing the environment and especially the recycling of electronic devices mostly produced outside of Ghana as a shared responsibility, the Federal government of Germany is set to invest a total of €25,000,000 to alleviate the environmental impact of electronic waste in Ghana and improve the working conditions of people in this sector.
The “Hazardous and Electronic Waste Law” passed in 2016 sets the legal framework for the German-Ghanaian engagement. Germany wishes to use the opportunity to congratulate Ghana on passing this ground-breaking law, which translates the Basel convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal into national law.
Germany will commit 5,000,000 Euro for a Technical Cooperation program (through the implementing agencyGIZ),which will focus on improving the working conditions of workers along the electronic wastevalue chain, on supporting private sector engagement in recycling industries, and on developing theframework conditions to implement the law.
Furthermore, €20,000,000 (through the KfWDevelopment bank) will be dedicated to the establishment of an incentive mechanism for soundcollection and recycling of e-waste as well as for a collection centre of the Government of Ghana.Both elements of the programme are intended to prepare the establishment of the Ghanaian recyclingfund as stipulated in the E-Waste-Law.
The commitment for the e-waste collection and recycling mechanism will be announced at an official ceremony next week with the Prof Kwabena Frimpong – Boateng, Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation and the German Ambassador, Christoph Retzlaff as keynote speakers.
Ben David Twum Ampofo
