By Daniel Bampoe
Minority Chief Whip and Member of Parliament for Nsawam-Adoagyiri, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, has subjected the Minister-designate for Environment, Science and Technology, Dr. Zenator Agyeman-Rawlings, to a series of detailed questions on some of the most pressing environmental challenges, including mercury pollution from small-scale mining, plastic waste management, landfill pollution, carbon trading and climate finance.
During the ministerial vetting, Annoh-Dompreh acknowledged the nominee’s responses and commended her for what he described as a demonstration of understanding and brilliance, but quickly shifted the discussion to practical measures to address environmental threats confronting the country.
One of the major issues raised by the Nsawam-Adoagyiri MP was the continued use of mercury in small-scale gold mining. This practice has generated significant environmental and public health concerns.
Annoh-Dompreh noted that the matter had repeatedly emerged as a national concern and pressed the minister-designate to explain how her ministry intended to effectively track and control the use of mercury.
He drew attention to concerns that traces of mercury were reportedly being found in agricultural products and foodstuffs, stressing the potential danger posed by mercury contamination to human health.
Rather than seeking a theoretical explanation, the Minority Chief Whip demanded practical solutions and wanted to know what concrete steps the ministry would take if the nominee was approved.
In response, Dr. Agyeman-Rawlings referred to Ghana’s obligations under the Minamata Convention, which places restrictions on the use of hazardous chemicals including mercury.
She explained that practical monitoring would require the Environmental Protection Agency to conduct spot checks, including unannounced inspections and testing.
She further indicated that the relevant institutions would need the appropriate equipment and capacity to carry out effective testing and monitoring of mercury use.
Annoh-Dompreh subsequently turned his attention to the growing problem of plastic waste, another issue that has become a major environmental challenge across Ghana.
He reminded the nominee of the extensive discussions surrounding plastic pollution and indicated that he was aware of her interest in the matter. He therefore sought to establish what briefing she had received from officials of the ministry and whether she had a clear understanding of the responsibilities and actions required to tackle the problem.
The MP specifically questioned whether the nominee believed Ghana could realistically make significant progress against plastic pollution and what measures she would pursue to achieve that objective.
Dr. Agyeman-Rawlings explained that Ghana already had a policy framework for addressing plastic waste and disclosed that one of the measures expected within the first six months would involve a ban on polystyrene, with further consideration of single-use plastics.
She also proposed increased investment in scientific research, particularly through the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), to develop biological alternatives to conventional plastics.
According to her, Ghana possesses several plant-based resources that could potentially be used to develop alternatives to plastic materials.
She cited products such as hemp and cassava as examples of resources that could be explored to create materials capable of breaking down more easily and reducing the persistence of plastic waste in the environment.
The discussion then moved to the management of waste at landfill sites, with Annoh-Dompreh drawing attention to the environmental and health risks associated with improperly managed waste disposal.
He noted that Ghana, as a developing country, had not yet achieved the desired level of waste reclamation and recycling.
He specifically raised concerns about leachate, the contaminated liquid generated from landfill sites, warning that it could seep into surrounding soil and groundwater and create serious health hazards.
Annoh-Dompreh cited landfill situations in areas such as Sowah and Sumea as examples of locations where the problem of leachate and its potential impact on water sources required attention.
He also pointed to landfill sites in Accra and parts of the Eastern Region, arguing that Ghana needed to move more aggressively towards recycling and alternative methods of waste management.
The Nsawam-Adoagyiri MP stressed that waste should not necessarily be regarded solely as a problem, noting that, from an environmental management perspective, waste could become a resource depending on how it was handled.
He therefore asked the minister-designate what briefing she had received from ministry officials and what her approach would be towards addressing the challenges associated with solid waste and landfill management.
In her response, Dr. Agyeman-Rawlings described environmental management as requiring an all-of-government and all-of-society approach, while assigning an important responsibility to the Environmental Protection Agency in dealing with hazardous waste and toxic chemicals that could contaminate water bodies and groundwater.
She identified the construction of properly designed landfill facilities as one of the critical interventions. According to her, landfill sites should have non-permeable bases before waste is deposited to prevent harmful substances from leaching into the soil and groundwater.
She further noted that such measures were already practised at certain e-waste collection facilities but argued that the approach should be expanded.
The minister-designate also advocated for a stronger culture of waste segregation, beginning at the household, school and community levels. She explained that separating waste at its source would make it easier to determine how different categories of waste should be treated and would support initiatives such as composting.
Dr. Agyeman-Rawlings also outlined other possible approaches to waste management, including the use of waste for thermal power generation, pyrolysis of plastics to produce fuel and cooking gas, and recycling certain plastics into reusable products.
She stressed that tackling the plastic waste crisis would require a combination of public education, stronger enforcement and innovative waste-management solutions
Annoh-Dompreh’s questioning later moved from domestic environmental challenges to the obligations under international climate agreements.
Referring to the evolution of global environmental commitments, he cited the progression from Berlin to Copenhagen, Stockholm and Paris, arguing that the international community had demonstrated a clear and continuing commitment towards environmental sustainability, emissions control and climate action.
He then challenged the nominee to explain how Ghana could move beyond signing international agreements to actually implementing the commitments contained in those agreements.
His focus was particularly on Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, which provides a framework for international cooperation and carbon-market mechanisms.
Annoh-Dompreh wanted to know how Ghana intended to translate its international commitments into practical action rather than leaving them at the level of declarations and diplomatic commitments.
Dr. Agyeman-Rawlings responded that Ghana had already begun the process of operationalising Article 6 through agreements with countries including Switzerland and Sweden concerning bilateral exchanges of carbon dioxide equivalents.
However, she cautioned that Ghana needed to carefully consider the implications of carbon-credit trading to ensure that the country did not compromise its future development opportunities.
She explained that Ghana needed to strike a balance between the financial benefits obtained from carbon trading and the amount of carbon space the country surrendered in the process.
Her concern, she indicated, was that Ghana could ultimately suffer a net disadvantage if the financial returns from carbon trading were not aligned with the country’s broader development objectives.
Annoh-Dompreh followed up on the issue, pointing out that while progress had been made in international carbon exchanges, there were still outstanding commitments that required attention.
He then moved the discussion towards climate finance and loss and damage, noting the changing emphasis in global climate negotiations.
The MP observed that the developed world had previously committed significant financial support to developing countries vulnerable to climate change, including the much-discussed US$100 billion climate-finance commitment, but argued that the promised resources had not materialised to the extent expected.
He further raised the issue of South-South cooperation and the potential for developing countries to benefit from broader financial and technological partnerships.
Annoh-Dompreh challenged the nominee to explain how Ghana would position itself to benefit from the emerging climate-finance opportunities and what legacy she hoped to leave as Environment Minister in strengthening the ability to access climate resources.
He made clear that Ghana should not merely participate in international climate discussions as a spectator but should develop the capacity to secure tangible financial and technological benefits for the country and the wider African continent.
In response, Dr. Agyeman-Rawlings said Ghana had already benefited from climate-finance arrangements, including World Bank grants linked to carbon-related initiatives. She nevertheless acknowledged that there was room for Ghana to improve its access to climate finance.
She agreed that developed countries had committed to supporting climate-vulnerable countries but noted that the expected funding had not been delivered as anticipated.
The nominee identified South-South cooperation as an important avenue through which Ghana could strengthen its position.
She suggested that Ghana should identify strategic partners facing similar environmental and climate challenges but possessing different resources and advantages that could complement the own needs.
She also pointed to the African Continental Free Trade Area as a possible platform through which Ghana could leverage regional cooperation, climate finance and green technology.
The extensive exchange between Annoh-Dompreh and the minister-designate placed the environmental challenges confronting Ghana at the centre of the vetting process, with particular emphasis on the need for practical implementation rather than policy statements alone.
