Accra: The United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), together with the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology (MEST), has launched the Ghana Circular Economy Centre (GCEC) Project initiative. This project aims to transition key sectors, including Plastics, Textiles, and Agriculture and agro-processing, to a circular economy with funding support from Global Affairs Canada.
According to Ghana News Agency, a circular economy is a regenerative system designed to minimize waste and maximize resource utilization by maintaining the use of products, materials, and components for as long as possible. Ghana currently consumes over 1.1 million tonnes of plastic annually, with only 19 percent of plastic waste being recovered. The remainder contributes to clogged drainage systems, pollution of water bodies, and frequent urban flooding. However, plastic types such as Linear Low Density Polyethylene (LLDPE), Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE), High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), and Polyethylene Thermoplastic Polymer (PET) hold significant economic potential when appropriate recovery methods and locally driven technologies are applied.
The initiative is being conducted in collaboration with the University of Cape Coast, Ho Technical University (HTU), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), and The Or Foundation. It is based on four key pillars: establishing a Centre of Excellence for Circular Economy, providing technical assistance and capacity-building, facilitating access to finance, and offering a platform for networking and knowledge exchange.
Central to the plastics value chain initiative is the University of Cape Coast (UCC), serving as the Plastics Value Chain Lead (VCL) in partnership with Cape Coast Technical University (CCTU) and City Waste Recycling (CWR) Ltd. The project team, led by Professor Daniel Agyapong with Dr. Daniel Ofori as the project coordinator, has developed a data-driven Circular Economy Opportunity Mapping (CE-OM) Report for plastics. The report was validated during a national stakeholder workshop at Ho Technical University.
Dr. Kwame Anane-Fenin from CCTU emphasized that building sustainable businesses in the plastic waste value chain requires a practical, evidence-based approach. Dr. Daniel Ofori mentioned that the validation workshop marks a critical milestone, underscoring the need for innovative value chain systems driven by product recovery, reuse, and recycling.
Mr. Joseph Yeboah, Strategic Partnerships and Engagement Lead at UNIDO, highlighted that circular economy solutions can catalyze Ghana's inclusive growth by unlocking investment opportunities and creating jobs. The GCEC project, a five-year initiative, aims to shift Ghana from a linear to a circular economy, identifying waste hotspots and scalable opportunities for entrepreneurship, particularly for the youth and women.
Prof. Christopher Mensah, Pro Vice-Chancellor of HTU, stated that the GCEC project is a multi-stakeholder initiative expected to drive inclusive economic prosperity through circular economy solutions. He assured stakeholders of HTU's commitment to fulfilling its responsibilities.
The project brief outlines expectations to validate 200 circular technologies and business models, train 2,000 small-scale entrepreneurs, mobilize $10 million in private capital, and deliver a national roadmap for plastics circularity. Key recommendations from the workshop include investing in decentralized plastic aggregation hubs, enforcing product standards, and promoting government uptake of recycled plastics.
The launch underscored the importance of collaboration, public awareness, and financial incentives to build a resilient, inclusive, and economically viable plastics circular economy in Ghana.
