The President of the Solid Waste Association of Ghana (SWAGH), Ernest Kusi, has stressed that Africa must adopt homegrown solutions to tackle its growing sanitation and waste management crisis.
Speaking at the maiden ISWA Africa Conference in Accra, Kusi said the continent cannot rely solely on imported models to resolve its challenges.
“We need African solutions to tackle Africa’s waste management challenges,” he noted, adding that the gathering created a platform for stakeholders to deliberate on financing, innovation, and public-private partnerships.
The three-day conference, hosted by SWAGH, the Ghana chapter of the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA), brought together experts from across Africa and beyond, including Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Germany, and Belgium. It was themed “Charting Africa’s Path to a Wasteless Future: Integrated Strategies for Sustainable Waste Management.”
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Delivering a statement on behalf of the Executive Chairman of Jospong Group, Dr Joseph Siaw Agyepong, Dr Alexander Kumi Larbi Jnr, Director of International Business, called for 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. Global practices, such as those in the UK, where waste management is funded through council and property taxes, can serve as a model for us,” the statement read.
Dr Agyepong also underscored the importance of private sector involvement, academia, and citizen engagement.
“Waste management is not an expense, it is an investment in public health, economic growth, and the betterment of our people,” he stressed.
The President of ISWA’s Africa Regional Chapter, Deji Fawole, echoed the call for indigenous approaches.
“Let’s talk, let’s collaborate, let’s find solutions, and let’s address the problems and solutions together,” he urged participants.
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