Private sector needs to lead the charge in waste recycling – Kwaku Afriyie

Minister for Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation (MESTI), Kwaku Afriyie, has encouraged the Private sector to engage actively in waste management and recycling.

According to the Member of Parliament (MP) for Sefwi Wiawso Constituency, the private sector can manage waste appropriately and tends to minimize plastic waste in the system through waste recycling. He urged for increased partnerships between the public sector and private enterprises.

“Even though there are a lot of public good issues in plastic management, we believe the private sector can manage itself, police it and even underwrite the collection and recycling mechanism. It’s only that we have to get together, make the modules work and tighten them up,” he stated.

Addressing the media in a press briefing, the Sector Minister highlighted some contributions of the Ministry as he reiterated the phrase, “MESTI like I say in football terms is the offensive midfielder of Ghana’s economy even though we don’t usually get mentioned but we’re not complaining, we’re just explaining.”

“MESTI in collaboration with other MDAs and the leaders of the Kwahu Traditional Council leveraged the Easter activities to launch a Plastic Waste Management Campaign dubbed “Plastic Is a Resource Not Waste”, to create awareness and sensitize the public on the potential economic benefits of plastics such as job creation and converting waste-to-resource,” he said

He furthered as he mentioned the significance of the private sector in waste recycling to employment creation.

“Indeed when you think of it, plastic alone can generate a lot of employment. Especially in the service sector and other areas for Ghanaians. That employment will not be public sector based but private sector-based and I want to emphasize it. We all now understand how plastic and the private sector can drive the economy and that’s where we are coming from. I will make sure thing works just like I made sure the private sector participated fully in the NHIS and that it wasn’t driven solely by the public sector.

"…I will make sure that in this endeavor, the whole enterprise is pulled up by the private sector. I believe that journalists can push this agenda for me so that we’re not being disruptive but we want to make sure the industry lives in a good public perception and going around the industry is prepared to pay for it.”