By: Maxwell Woyram Tsigbe
The President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E. John Dramani Mahama, has announced plans to ban the importation and production of styrofoam plastics in the country in an attempt to curb plastic pollution.
President Mahama revealed this imminent directive on Thursday, June 5, 2025, during the commemoration of this year’s World Environment Day at the Kwabenya Community Senior High School in Accra, organised by the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology, together with the Lands and Education ministries.
The event raised awareness about human activities that pollute the environment and possible ways to rectify them including banning of some plastic products to restore a greener and safer environment.
It commenced with a cultural display and a theatre performance by pupils to underscore the importance of keeping a clean and healthy environment, particularly during the rainy seasons to curb perennial flooding in Ghana.
Under the global and national themes: ”Ending Plastic Pollution,” and “Repurpose Plastic Use,” respectively with a commanding call to action slogan; ”Rethink Plastic Pollution, ‘ACT’ Now,” a clarion call was made to the public to protect the environment via attitudinal change.
In his Keynote address, President John Dramani Mahama stated that the global theme, “Ending Plastic Pollution,” resonates profoundly here in Ghana, where the convenience of plastic has too often yielded mountains of waste and must be addressed.
“One of the other things we intend to do is to ban styrofoam as a food packaging material. One of the most pernicious polluters is styrofoam plastic … and so we’re going to ban the importation of styrofoam plastics; so we have to use paper packaging or aluminium foil for packaging our food,” President Mahama stated.
“So I’m informing the manufacturers and importers of styrofoam, with the Ministry of Environment that soon we’re going to ban the importation of styrofoam and production of styrofoam in Ghana,” he emphasised.
To ensure a greener environment, the president subsequently launched the ”One Tree Per Child Initiative,” a national programme built directly on the ”Tree for Life” programme which was launched in March earlier this year.
“I’m proud to launch the ‘One Tree Per Child’ initiative. This is a national programme that will engage every school-aged Ghanaian child in planting and nurturing at least one tree. Each child will be given a seedling, and the seedlings will be chosen to suit the local ecology of where their schools are,” President Mahama assured.
The initiative is expected to produce at least 30 million trees across the country with the “Tree for Life” afforestation programme targeted at the restoration of about 7 million hectares of degraded lands.
Meanwhile, the Minister for Environment, Science and Technology, Hon. Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, re-echoed the “One Child, One Tree” initiative as his ministry’s flagship contribution to the “Tree for Life” programme.
According to him, it is an innovative way to instil a culture of environmental sustainability consciousness in the children before they grow which will enable them to contribute to national reforestation and climate resilience efforts.
Hon. Murtala said the slogan; “Rethink Plastic Pollution, ‘ACT’ Now,” stresses the point that Attitude Changes Things and encapsulates the need to the three urgent steps we must all take:
- A – Awareness by educating citizens about the dangers of plastic pollution and the benefits of sustainable alternatives;
- C – Conscious consumption, where we urge individuals and industries to reduce, reuse and repurpose plastics; and
- T – Transformation: Supporting innovation, recycling, and policy reform to create a circular plastic economy.
He added that the Ministry of Environment is working with local industries to explore biodegradable alternatives, enhancing extended producer responsibility and create green jobs through plastic recycling and upcycling.
He concluded that the Ministry will in coming months intensify community outreach programmes, especially in schools and markets, to support behaviour change campaigns and empower local solutions to plastic waste.
As the saying goes, leadership by example, and hence, the event concluded with President Mahama, Hon. Murtala Mohammed, The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Linda Obenewaa Akweley Ocloo among other dignitaries took turns to plant a tree each on the Kwabenya Community Senior High School compound.