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Hold packaging companies responsible for waste pollution – Exe. Dir. Plastic Punch
The company collected large volumes of plastic waste
Mr Richmond Kennedy Quarcoo, the Executive Director of Plastic Punch, a non-governmental organisation increasing awareness on sustainable waste management practices in Ghana, has called on the government and stakeholders to hold plastic packaging companies accountable for the waste they generate by investing in brand audits.
Mr Quarcoo made this call following the collection of 2,657kg of plastic waste from four beach clean-ups at Ningo Prampram and Nungua in the first quarter of 2022 by Plastic Punch and its partners.
He explained that if implemented effectively, brand auditing, which is the categorisation and counting of litter according to the type of packaging and associated brands, could be used to propel innovations in packaging, waste management, reusable solutions and influence an extended producer responsibility regime.
The beach clean-ups which were done in the Kpoete Community at Ningo-Prampram and the Regional Maritime University at Nungua in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology & Innovation (MESTI), was funded by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation under the facilitation of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions Secretariat.
The exercise, under the project, “Marine litter and microplastics: promoting the environmentally sound management of plastic wastes and achieving the prevention and minimisation of the generation of plastic wastes,” is aimed at increasing knowledge and awareness among decision-makers, academia, and the larger public about plastic waste found on beaches in Ghana.
Mr Quarcoo said that individual efforts were not sufficient to minimise plastic waste if companies were not being held accountable for their contributions to the increase of plastic waste at the beaches.
“Companies need to have alternatives to single-use plastics for the packaging of their products by investing in alternatives, research and development so there will be fewer plastic wastes, especially on our beaches,” he added.
Giving more details on the NGO’s activities at Nungua and Ningo-Prampram, Mr Quarcoo said, “beach clean-ups are a great tool to sensitise the public about the impact of plastic pollution on the environment and marine life as well as to encourage behavioural change in reducing pollution.
He noted that Plastic Punch has been getting rid of marine debris on beaches through its clean-ups since 2018 after a team of passionate marine life advocates found five dead sea turtles on a plastic-infested beach at Ningo-Prampram.
“As an organisation, we hope through our beach clean-ups and awareness creation, people living in coastal areas and inland communities would understand the importance of keeping plastic-free and clean beaches for the sake of the environment, marine life as well as tourism,” he said.
Mr Quarcoo said the next steps for Plastic Punch would be to use the data collected from these clean-ups to collaborate with MESTI and other stakeholders to educate plastic manufacturers and users on the impact of plastic waste on the environment as well as hold them accountable for the waste they produce by advocating an Extended Producer Responsibility Regime.
By Alfred Nii Arday Ankrah
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GEXIM deepens relations with US EXIM Bank
A management team of the Ghana Export – Import Bank (GEXIM) led by the Acting Chief Executive, Sylvester Mensah met with the leadership of the Export–Import Bank of the United States (US EXIM) on Wednesday April 23, 2025 in Washington DC, United States of America.
The Acting President and Chairman of US EXIM, Mr. James C. Cruse and Vice President, International Relations, Ms. Isabel Galdiz received the GEXIM delegation, which included Deputy CEO for Banking, Mr. Moses Klu Mensah and Head of International Cooperation, Mr. Jonathan Christopher Koney at the headquarters of US EXIM.
The meeting offered the GEXIM team the opportunity to share the strategic direction of the Bank in line with the resetting agenda of the President of the Republic, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama for the repositioning of the Ghanaian economy into an export-led one by providing the requisite investment to Ghanaian businesses.
Mr. James C. Cruse expressed US EXIM’s eagerness to deepen its existing relations with GEXIM and proposed the signing of a new Cooperative Framework Agreement following the expiration of a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2019 to utilize US EXIM’s medium term loan guarantees to procure machinery by GEXIM for qualified Ghanaian Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs).
Mr.Sylvester Mensah thanked the Acting President and Chairman of US EXIM for hosting the GEXIM delegation and reaffirmed the Ghanaian government’s commitment to strengthening trade and investment between Ghana and its global partners for economic transformation of Ghana with GEXIM playing a pivotal role.
The two teams will be meeting on the sidelines of the 2025 US EXIM Annual Conference on 29th and April 30, 2025 to explore possible areas of collaboration and matching Ghanaian businesses to American companies. The meeting ended with an exchange of gifts.
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Many SOEs have been used as mere instruments for personal wealth accumulation –Pres.Mahama
President John Dramani Mahama has expressed concern over the misuse of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) for personal financial gain by individuals in leadership positions.
Speaking during a meeting with Chief Executives of specified entities under the State Interest and Governance Authority (SIGA) on Thursday, March 13, the President directly attributed the dire state of SOEs to their leadership, accusing chief executives, management teams, and governing boards of prioritising personal enrichment over organisational efficiency.
He pointed to bloated budgets, unjustified allowances, and unnecessary expenditures as factors draining public funds while SOEs continue to rely on government bailouts.
“Many SOEs have been used as mere instruments for personal wealth accumulation by appointees. The chief executives, management, and boards of these enterprises are responsible for this situation. Some SOEs have become perennial loss-makers, draining public funds with bloated budgets, unjustified allowances, and unnecessary expenditures while relying on government bailouts as if entitled to them. Many of these entities are at their lowest point in the entire history of the Fourth Republic,” he said.
President Mahama further noted that many SOEs have been plagued by inefficiencies, corruption, and mismanagement, leading to consistent financial losses. He cited the 2023 State Ownership Report by the State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA), which highlighted systemic inefficiencies and wasteful expenditures within these entities.
He therefore reaffirmed his commitment to reforming under-performing SOEs and ensuring they serve national interests.
He warned that loss-making SOEs will no longer be tolerated and will either be merged, privatised, or closed.
“I will assess you based on your performance. If you do not align with the pace of the reset agenda, you may be asked to step aside. If that adds to the horror movie, so be it,” he added.
Source: Myjoyonline.com
