German Federal Minister of Economic Development visits old Fadama scrapyard

The Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology & Innovation (MESTI) together with the German Embassy, GIZ and KfW, welcomed the German Federal Minister of Economic Development, Dr. Gerd Müller, and the Minister of Environment, Science, Technology & Innovation, Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, to the Old Fadama Scrap Yard.

In recent times, growing prosperity in Ghana has enhanced technological advancement and helped to bridge the digital gap with developed countries.

The changing consumption patterns, in addition to lack of sustainable and environmentally sound recycling systems in Ghana are leading to an increase in the volumes of waste of electrical and electronic equipment (E-Waste) in the country.

E-Waste is known to contain both, valuable and hazardous fractions and as such,

its improper handling could cause problems for the environment as well as human health.

The scrapyard in Old Fadama has become an international flashing point of informal E-Waste recycling, taking in around 215,000 tons annually.

Although there are existing recycling processes on the site that aims to reduce damage to the environment and human health, more efforts need to be made to support the informal sector in improving their methods.

Since 2016 the Federal Republic of Germany has supported the development programme on the disposal and recycling of electronic waste in Ghana and committed a total amount of 25 million euros.

One of the fields of activity within this scope is the improvement of sustainable E-Waste recycling methods and capacity building in the informal recycling sector.

The construction of a Health Facility and Training Workshop, the renovation of the football pitch introduction of a Hand-Over Centre for cables have been initiated by the E-Waste Programme on the scrapyard.

The viewing of the construction site “Building an E-Waste Training Workshop/ Health Centre” included an exhibition of upcycled products from Agbogbloshie and upcycling workshops in Accra as well as a short introduction of the project.