Ophelia Mensah Hayford (M) with German partners commissioning the centre
The Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI), in partnership with the German government have commissioned an Electronic Waste Hand-Over Centre (HOC) to address e-waste pollution in Accra and its environs.
Commissioning the facility at the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC), in Accra, sector minister, Ophelia Mensah Hayford, said the eco-friendly e-waste management facility will help reduce environmental pollution particularly those from electronic waste.
The Minister cited the example of Agbogbloshie neighborhood which became infamous as one of the world’s most polluted areas, with open burning of e-waste to extract metals.
She stated that such crude practice caused severe environmental degradation and health hazards to local communities, attracting international attention and sparking calls for reform.
She said these toxic substances, including heavy metals and hazardous chemicals, polluted Agbogbloshie’s air, soil, and water, damaging both Ghana’s environment and reputation globally.
The Minister indicated that the facility would therefore help with sound collection, dismantling, recycling, and disposal of electronic waste.
Team leader for the E-waste project, Dr. Vincent Kyere, described E-waste as “an electronic item that has come to the end of life” stating that recyclers in Agbogbloshie collected e-waste materials as a form of livelihood but failed to properly recycle these items which affected their health.
He said the practice prompted the establishment of the E-waste center where collectors presented e-waste in exchange for cash and also their e-waste properly recycled.
The team leader further said that the facility which started in 2020 now has about 718 tonnes of materials.
He said, out of the 718 tonnes of e-waste, 100 tonnes have been given to formal recyclers to be processed.
Mr. Kyere noted that the development has improved the health of many people including residents of Agbogbloshie.
By Ransford Wletsu