Workshop on combating illegal hazardous waste trade through seaports ends

Accra, June 26, GNA – A two-day workshop on combating illegal hazardous waste trade through seaports has ended in Accra with a call for the promotion of regional cooperation on joint issues of inspection, detection and enforcement of illegal waste shipments in West Africa.

A statement issued in Accra on Friday said participants of Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, Benin and Nigeria would take initiatives to start a regional working group that would offer a platform for relevant practitioners and authorities in the region to share information, exchange expertise and develop and promote good practices and procedures.

It was organised by International Network for International Network for Environmental Compliance and Enforcement (INECE) with support from the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Netherlands Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment, the Ghana Environmental Protection Agency, Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) and the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority.

The participants called for development of a proposal for organising control and inspection activities of waste shipments.

The statement issued on Friday said INECE would specifically identify and collect suitable training materials regarding the issue of identifying and combating illegal waste shipments.

Some 70 participants from African countries, Europe, Asia and the US as well as representatives of several international and regional organisations, who attended the workshop, called for support and enhancement of further capacity.

It said INECE would stimulate and support initiatives regarding the container control programme which were aimed at making the detection and counteracting of waste trafficking an integral part of the activities of the joint port control programme, adding that if feasible, a pilot of this development would be set up at the Tema Port.

The Accra workshop identified capacity building related port inspections and discussed means to address these needs, such as training materials and sharing of information and expertise.

It also sought to exchange operational inspection and enforcement activities and approaches between countries and strengthen cooperation among competent authorities like CEPS, environmental agencies, port authorities and other government officials at the national and international levels.

GNA