On 10 April 2025 in Accra, Republic of Ghana, the SMEP-funded Fresh Produce Impact Hub (FreshPPact) successfully launched its latest report: Moving Ghana Beyond Plastics: A Policy Blueprint for a Thriving Plastic Substitutes and Alternatives Industry. The Policy Blueprint report is aimed at facilitating the transition to plastic alternatives and reducing plastic packaging.
This report was developed following last year’s round table event hosted by FreshPPact, which questioned what the main challenges are for plastics reduction in Ghana. The Policy Blueprint, the first of its kind in the West African sub-region, provides a strategic framework for transitioning Ghana into a plastic alternatives-driven economy using sustainable materials and will promote the commercialisation of plastic alternative products in the country.
Ghana is making huge strides towards transitioning away from conventional plastics and is also considering a ban on single-use plastics in the country.
Dr Ebenezer Laryea, the Project Director of FreshPPact, noted that an effort to transition away from conventional plastic products is the correct approach to addressing any plastics challenge, stating that “Ghana’s recycling rate is extremely low, and even with increased recycling, it is not a sustainable long-term solution. Without action, plastic waste in Ghana could exceed 3.8 million tonnes annually by 2025, with an economic burden of over $2 billion each year due to pollution-related illnesses”. He also added, “this report therefore sets out the policy blueprint by which Ghana can transition away from conventional plastics, and it gives me great pride for all of us to be gathered here to witness the commencement of that journey.”
The Policy Blueprint is based on six policy pillars:
Based on these pillars and their corresponding action points, the Policy Blueprint identifies clear steps for legislative reform, investment in sustainable industries by public and private sectors, public awareness campaigns, and support for local innovators. Furthermore, it urges both public and private sectors to join forces in addressing the plastic pollution crisis taking place in Ghana.
The Chief Executive Officer of Ghana’s Environmental Protection Agency, Professor Nana Ama Browne Klutse, attended the event as a guest of honour and delivered remarks with a message from His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, President of the Republic of Ghana. Since coming into office in January, the President has set the ambition of transitioning Ghana away from conventional plastic products, particularly single-use plastics. This was promoted made by the CEO of the EPA, who went on to say that the Policy Blueprint comes at a timely moment to plug a gap in the government’s thinking about what strategies they would need to employ to promote the local production and adoption of alternatives. There was therefore deep assurance made of the government’s acceptance of the report and of its intention to implement it.
This is an exciting outcome, and the FreshPPact team will be looking to play their part, with the support of the SMEP Programme, to facilitate the implementation. In addition, and given the similarities that exist in Global South countries, the Policy Blueprint is one that can be adapted to most Global South nations – particularly those in the West African sub-region. This raises an exciting opportunity to up-scale the applicability of the policy blueprint using a region-wide approach with Ghana being the test-bed.
The FreshPPact team are now working on developing a policy brief for government ministries and agencies to take this work further, and they are hoping to host a policy workshop in Accra in October 2025.
Images from the Policy Blueprint launch event showcasing speakers Dr Ebenezer Laryea (FreshPPact Project Director), Seyi Omoloso (FreshPPact Project Manager), and Alexa von Geusau (SMEP PMA Programme Manager).
Staci Warrington
SMEP PMA Junior Project Manager
With inputs from Alexa von Geusau (SMEP PMA Programme Manager) and the FreshPPact team
