Minister commends youth groups in Accra for advancing climate resilience...
The Minister of State in charge of Climate Change and Sustainability, Hon. Issifu Seidu, has commended the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) for its efforts in advancing climate resilience and pledged its continued support for local-level climate action initiatives that align with national priorities.
The Minister made the remarks on Thursday after the AMA officially introduced the Phase II micro-grantees under the Youth Climate Action Fund (YCAF) and presented its Accra Climate Action Plan (ACAP) to him in his office.
Engr. Solomon Noi, Head of Waste Management at the AMA, explained that the Assembly had intentionally targeted youth between the ages of 15 and 24 to drive innovation in addressing climate challenges, adding the micro-grant initiative encouraged young people to develop solutions aligned with the city’s Climate Action Plan.
“We want young people to apply their ingenuity to come up with simple but impactful climate solutions in either mitigation or adaptation, all rooted in the goals of our Climate Action Plan,” Engr. Noi said.
He noted that support for the programme had expanded significantly, with funding increasing from 50,000 to 100,000 US dollars, allowing for broader participation.
“Our goal is to identify the most promising ideas and scale them up through partnerships with industry so these youth can eventually become green entrepreneurs,” he added.
Touching on waste management, Engr. Noi criticised the current national practices of mixing solid waste, describing them as outdated.
“In the 21st century, we should not mix all types of waste. We are piloting a separation system for wet and dry waste to enhance processing and reduce landfill dependency,” he said.
He emphasised that landfill sites were becoming increasingly scarce and that unsegregated waste posed processing challenges.
“With the ministry’s support, we are confident we can scale our waste innovations across other districts and municipalities,” he added.
The Minister, in response, stressed the urgency of reforming the country’s waste systems, revealing that research showed 44% of Ghana’s greenhouse gas emissions stemmed from poor waste management practices, particularly organic and solid waste.
He explained that further studies conducted in partnership with Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), the University of Cape Coast (UCC), and the University of Ghana revealed that nearly 60% of municipal solid waste was organic in composition.
“When this ends up in landfills, it generates methane, a harmful greenhouse gas,” he said, adding that the remaining non-organic waste was only 70% collected, with 30% left uncollected due to infrastructural and logistical challenges.
“This uncollected waste often ends up in drains and open spaces, worsening our environmental situation,” the Minister said.
He reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to collaborating with city authorities and youth groups to implement long-term, data-driven climate solutions across the country.
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