According to news reports, the Ghanaian Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovations will “sanction a directive in two weeks” banning the production and importation of non-degradable plastic products.

Like many countries, Ghana’s rapid development has put significant pressure on sanitation management systems in the country’s urban centers.  However, the issue became a national priority when waste-clogged drains and gutters contributed to last month’s tragic floods in the capital city of Accra.  The proposed ban follows weeks of comments from President John Mahama, Vice-President Kwesi Amissah-Arthur and the general public about the role that plastic waste in particular played in the disaster.  Ghana will be joining a host of other African countries that have instituted similar measures to curb or outright ban the import, manufacture and/or use of plastics especially very thin plastics.  The list of countries that have instituted similar measures includes  Botswana, Burundi, Kenya, Mauritania, Tanzania, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, and Uganda.

This post can also be found on Cov Africa, the firm’s blog on legal, regulatory, political and economic developments in Africa.