The Solid Waste Association of Ghana (SWAGH), the country’s chapter of the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA), on Tuesday held the maiden ISWA Africa conference to find solutions to waste management challenges in Africa.
According to Ernest Kusi, President of SWAGH, Africa needs indigenous solutions to solve its sanitation challenges.
“We need African solutions to tackle Africa’s waste management challenges.” He added that the conference was an opportunity for stakeholders to come together and find solutions to waste management financing issues, new innovations, and public-private partnerships.
The Executive Chairman of Jospong Group, Dr Joseph Siaw Agyepong, in a statement read on his behalf as a guest speaker of the conference emphasised the need for Africa to adopt sustainable funding models for waste management.
“We need to come up with innovative ways of ensuring that sustainable funding is made available for waste treatment across Africa,” he said.
“Global practices, such as those in the UK, where waste management is funded through council tax and property tax, can serve as a model for us.”
Dr Alexander Kumi Larbi Jnr, Director of International Business, who read the statement on behalf of Dr Agyepong stressed the importance of private sector participation, academia, and citizen engagement in waste management. “Waste management is not an expense, it is an investment in public health, in economic growth, and in the betterment of our people.”
The President of ISWA-African Regional Chapter, Deji Fawole, urged stakeholders to find indigenous solutions to Africa’s sanitation challenges. “Let’s talk, let’s collaborate, let’s find solutions, and let’s discuss the problems and solutions.”
The conference held on the theme “Charting Africa’s Path to a Wasteless Future: Integrated Strategies For Sustainable Waste Management,” brought together experts from across the continent and beyond to share knowledge, network, and advance their careers.
The three-day conference featured speakers from countries such as Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Germany, and Belgium, highlighting the global interest in addressing waste management challenges.
The conference aimed to tackle key issues such as waste financing, waste generation, and infrastructure development, and find innovative solutions to the waste management challenges facing Africa.
By hosting this conference, SWAGH and ISWA Africa demonstrated their commitment to promoting sustainable waste management practices in Ghana and beyond.
The event served as a platform for stakeholders to come together and work towards finding solutions to the pressing waste management issues in Africa.
As Kusi noted, “Where there is a will, there is a way. When government is committed to solving the problem, we can solve it.”
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