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  2. [2025] Western Africa Workshop on Waste Management and the Circular Economy

[2025] Western Africa Workshop on Waste Management and the Circular Economy

Tuesday, 26 August 2025 - 9:00am to Thursday, 28 August 2025 - 5:00pm

Documents

Concept Note (updated as of 22 August 2025)

 

Background

Humanity currently generates approximately 2.1 billion tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) per year and waste generation rates could increase by more than 73% by the end of 2050. Waste volumes continue to increase across the globe amid rapid urbanization and production and consumption trends centered on a take, make, waste model. With five years left to achieve the 2030 Agenda, the circularity of solid waste, which is itself a resource, can ensure progress towards sustainable development while achieving innovation, greater productivity, and economic opportunities. While sustainable waste management and the transition to a circular economy directly contributes to the achievement of SDGs 11, 12 and 14, it can also positively impact progress across all 17 SDGs.

A key challenge is the open dumping and burning of waste, often linked to informal and unregulated activities. Only 55% of MSW generated is managed in controlled facilities worldwide and low-income countries discard approximately 80-90% of waste in large, unregulated dumpsters or landfills that can burn openly, affect air quality and leach into waterways. Informality in the waste sector increases the vulnerability of workers and communities – with an estimated 400,000 people in developing countries dying annually from diseases resulting from poorly managed waste systems. While these statistics present a stark reality, they are largely based on estimates due to a lack of data on waste management in low and middle-income countries.

A recent UN report shows that SDG 11, which includes most of the indicators on solid waste, has the largest gap in data availability . Similarly, SDG 12.5, measured from data on national recycling rates and tons of recycled material, has accumulated limited data for most countries globally. These data are essential to compare progress on a global scale and to measure the shift towards a circular economy requiring multilevel governance and multilateral action.

 

Western Africa’s regional policy progress on waste and circular economy

In parts of the Western Africa region, waste management and circular economy faces challenges, including high levels of uncollected waste, improper disposal practices such as open dumping and burning, and an over-reliance on linear economic models. Organic waste makes up a significant portion of the waste stream but remains underutilised, and in many of the countries, recycling rates are very low due to limited infrastructure and a largely informal sector. These issues not only hinder progress toward circularity, but also exacerbate environmental and public health concerns.

The World Bank warns that the region could become the largest contributor to poorly managed plastic waste globally by 2060 without intervention. Recent studies by the World Bank identified 71 plastic waste generation hotspots across the West Africa region, with a concentration in Nigeria, especially related to sectors such as packaging and fisheries.

The region has already defined gaps and opportunities to accelerate a circular economy. ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) is actively promoting circular economy principles for waste management in West Africa. This includes a regional action plan on plastics management, encouraging harmonization of regulations, and raising awareness on the need for circularity in plastics. ECOWAS also supports initiatives like the African Circular Economy Facility to foster sustainable waste management practices and economic growth.

The African Union is committed to promoting the development of a circular economy across the continent in line with the 2023 adoption of the African Union Action Plan for the Circular Economy (2024-2034) and emphasizes the importance of member states developing tailored regional and national action plans that align with their specific needs. As part of circular economy priorities, effective strategies include designing policies to improve waste collection and treatment systems, investing in recycling and composting infrastructure, and promoting awareness and behaviour change to reduce waste generation. Moreover, integrating the informal waste sector into formal systems can enhance resource recovery, and create jobs.

 

Waste management data trends and gaps in Western Africa

Every two years, countries are invited to submit solid waste data through the United Nations Questionnaire on Environmental Statistics. However, the latest submissions highlight significant disparities in waste management reporting across Western Africa.

Only around 19% of countries in the region have provided recent data, primarily from 2020 to 2022, indicating a low level of engagement and reflecting fragile data systems and limited institutional capacity. Furthermore, 38% of countries have not updated their data in over a decade, pointing to persistent challenges in maintaining reliable reporting mechanisms or a lack of prioritization for waste data management. Notably, 25% of the countries in the region have no reported data in the United Nations waste questionnaires.

This absence of information underscores persistent gaps likely driven by structural constraints, limited technical capacity, or competing national priorities. While some progress in reporting is evident among other nations, substantial efforts are still needed to strengthen and standardize data collection and reporting systems on waste and circular economy across the region. Doing so is essential to ensure reliable, comparable data that can guide effective and sustainable waste management and circularity policies.

Creating evidence-based policies requires support for data generation and the implementation of local-level strategies. In this context, the United Nations Office for Sustainable Development (UNOSD), which serves as the policy support arm of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), has developed the Waste Management and Circular Economy Policy Support System (WMPSS) that aims to address data gaps, technology needs and capacity gaps to achieve resource circularity in solid waste management. This work builds on UN DESA's commitment to zero waste through the International Partnership for Scaling Up Local Authority Waste Management Services (IPLA) from 2011 to 2015.

The Waste Management and Circular Economy Policy Support System (WMPSS) was launched with a platform to allow countries to self-assess progress on waste management and circularity based on multiple country and expert consultations since November 2023. Ghana has joined the WMPSS as a regional hub country for Western Africa due to its regional leadership in waste management. Ghana has taken significant steps to address its waste management problem through several ambitious projects. These include the Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) project which integrates waste management with urban resiliency, a National Plastics Management Policy, which aims to introduce legally binding EPR rules for plastic packaging and textiles, collaboration with the World Bank on plastic waste reduction-linked bond and a programme to build an integrated recycling and compost plant in each of the 16 regions.

This sub-regional workshop seeks to enhance foundational knowledge on waste management and resource circularity data quality assurance and quality control, while promoting evidence-based practices and tools to address critical barriers to a circular economy for waste in the region. By fostering regional collaboration through the exchange of case studies and best practices, the workshop aims to strengthen policy learning and multi-stakeholder engagement. Through action-oriented dialogue and tailored recommendations, it will support the design and implementation of sustainable waste management systems, enabling coherent, impact-driven strategies that advance circular economy initiatives across Western Africa.

 

Objectives

The Western Africa Sub-Regional Workshop will aim to:

  1. Strengthen Knowledge and Data Systems. Enhance understanding of waste management and circular economy principles, and the importance of data systems to improve data collection, monitoring, and evidence-based policy making.
  2. Support Institutional Coordination and Leadership. Encourage the formation of national task forces and interministerial coordination to ensure coherent data and policy design and implementation.
  3. Facilitate Policy Learning and Regional Collaboration. Promote the exchange of tools, case studies, and best practices to foster mutual learning and regional cooperation.
  4. Advance Action-Oriented Dialogue and Innovation. Generate actionable insights and recommendations to guide the design of sustainable and inclusive waste management systems.
  5. Promote Inclusive and Equitable Systems. Highlight the integration of gender, youth and the informal sector in circular economy strategies.

 

Target Audience

The workshop includes government representatives from Western Africa: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo. Participants will also include invited experts from the United Nations, international organizations, civil society representatives, and private sector focused on resource circularity, circular economy, data management, and material flow management, as well as national to local MSW policies and practices.

 

Organizers

The sub-regional workshop is organised by the United Nations Office for Sustainable Development (UNOSD) of the Division for Sustainable Development Goals, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) in cooperation with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Green Growth Knowledge Partnership (GGKP), the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and Circular Bioeconomy Innovation Hub and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UN ECA) and in coordination with the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office in Ghana, under the auspices of the Government of the Republic of Ghana (Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs - MLGCRA).

 

Programme and Agenda

Day 1 (26 August 2025)

Opening Session

Moderator: Mr. Kweku Quansah, Deputy Director, Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Republic of Ghana

 

Welcome Remarks

  • Hon. Ahmed Ibrahim (M.P), Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy, and Religious Affairs, Republic of Ghana
  • Mr. Emmanuel K. Urey Yarkpawolo, Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Liberia
  • H.E. Mr. Kyongsig Park, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the Republic of Ghana
  • Ms. Shaima Hussein, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative, Republic of Ghana
  • Mr. Chun Kyoo Park, Head of Office, United Nations Office for Sustainable Development (UNOSD), UNDESA

 

Introduction

Moderator: Mr. Marcus Newbury, Statistician, Statistics Division, UN DESA

  • Why We Are Here: Context and Vision - Mr. Hannes MacNulty, Manager – Green Industry Platform, Green Growth Knowledge Platform (GGKP)
  • Hosting with Purpose: Ghana’s Waste Management Realities and Aspirations - Mr. Godfred Fiifi Boadi, Head, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change Unit, Ministry for Local Government, Chieftaincy, and Religious Affairs

 

Session I: Foundational concepts in waste management and resource circularity

Moderator: Mr. Godfred Fiifi Boadi, Head, Solid Waste Management and Climate Change Unit, Ministry for Local Government, Chieftaincy, and Religious Affairs

 

Session II: Taking stock - Progress and state of waste management and resource circularity in Western Africa

Moderator: Mr. Hannes MacNulty, Manager – Green Industry Platform, GGKP

  • Regional, subregional and national circular economy roadmaps and action plans: Data needs for effective implementation - Ms. Zoé Quesnay, Blue Economy and Great Blue Wall Officer, UNECA (15 mins) (virtual)
  • Capacity challenges and opportunities for tackling waste management in Western Africa and regionally - Mr. Vincent Oparah, Senior Programme Officer, Disaster Risk Management and Recovery, African Union Development Agency (10 mins) (virtual)
  • Republic of Benin - Mr. Calixte Hoosou, Head of the Climate Change Mitigation Department at the Directorate General for the Environment and Climate
  • Republic of Côte d’Ivoire - Mr. Ohoueu Didier Gbocho, Director, Green Economy and Organizational Social Responsibility, Ministry of Environment, Sustainable Development and Ecological Transition
  • Republic of Liberia - Ms. Margaret Mamey Beyslow, Assistant Manager, Environmental Protection Agency

 

Session III: Measuring what we waste - progress and gaps in solid waste management data

Moderator: Mr. Marcus Newbury, Statistician, Statistics Division, UN DESA

  • Questionnaire on Environment Statistics (Waste) and Western Africa Trends and Data Gaps - Mr. Marcus Newbury, Statistician, UN DESA
  • Overview of the Allbaro System for digital waste data and e-tracking - Mr. Kwangnyung Lee, Assistant Manager, Korea Environment Corporation (K-eco, Ministry of Environment, Republic of Korea)
  • Africa Clean Cities Platform (ACCP)- Ms. Shiho Jinno, Associate Programme Management Officer, UN-Habitat (15 mins) (virtual)

 

Session IV: Integrating Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) into Waste Management and the Circular Economy

Moderator: Mr. Felipe Dall'Orsoletta, Programme Officer, International Environmental Technology Centre (IETC), UNEP

  • Understanding EPR and the role of data in its implementation - Mr. Felipe Dall'Orsoletta, Programme Officer, UNEP IETC
  • EPR – the Experience of the Republic of Korea - Ms. Youngah Kim, Associate Research and Policy Development Expert, UNOSD
  • The experience of Ghana on EPR - Mr. Larry Kotoe, Environmental Protection Authority, Republic of Ghana

 

Day 2 (27 August)  

Session V: Financing Waste Management – An overview of current progress and persistent challenges

Moderator: Mr. Hannes MacNulty, Manager – Green Industry Platform, GGKP

  • Financing solid waste management in Ghana – Priorities, cases and lessons learned - Mr. Justice Odoi, Senior Environmental Specialist, World Bank
  • Financing mechanism for circular economy and Blue Economy priorities in African Island States - Ms. Zoé Quesnay, Blue Economy and Great Blue Wall Officer, UNECA (15 mins) (virtual)

 

Session VI: Waste Management and Circular Economy Policy Support System (WMPSS)

Moderator: Ms. Youngah Kim, Associate Research and Policy Development Expert, UNOSD

  • What is the WMPSS? How It Strengthens Policy & Data Systems & Demonstration: How the WMPSS Works - Mr. Hannes MacNulty, Manager – Green Industry Platform, GGKP
  • Ghana country results presentation - Mr. Michael Akumfi-Ameyaw, Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs

 

Session VII: Achieving Inclusive and Equitable Waste Management in Plastics: Integrating Youth, Gender, and the Informal Sector

Moderator: Mr. Felipe Dall'Orsoletta, Programme Officer, UNEP IETC

  • Ms. Cordie Aziz, Founder and Executive Director, Environment360
  • Ms. Nwanne Christiana Umunna, Head, Energy and Environment Statistics Division (National Bureau of Statistics, Nigeria), Federal Republic of Nigeria

 

Session VIII: Achieving Inclusive and Equitable Waste Management through Textiles: Integrating Youth, Gender, and the Informal Sector

Moderator: Ms. Beatriz Fernandez, Programme Officer, UNEP

  • Circular Economy in Action: ACEA’s Work on Waste Management in Western Africa
  • Ms. Bonmwa Fwangkwal, Circular Economy Expert, African Development Bank Group
  • Circular Economy and Waste Value Chains in Textiles - Mr. Wayne Hubbard, CEO, ReLondon (15 mins) (virtual)

 

Session IX: Organic Waste, Public-Private Partnerships, and the Circular bioeconomy

Moderator: Ms. Olufunke Cofie, Africa Director for Research Impact, International Water Management Institute (IWMI) West Africa

  • Introductory presentation: Key elements for PPPs to achieve circularity and economies of scale in organic waste (Governance/data-driven regulatory framework/entrepreneur ecosystems)

 

Day 3 (28 August)   

Session X: WMPSS – Self assessing progress on Solid Waste Management: Country Data Collection Exercise and Discussion

Moderator: Mr. Hannes MacNulty, Manager – Green Industry Platform, GGKP

Facilitators

  • Mr. Felipe Dall'Orsoletta, Programme Officer, UNEP IETC
  • Ms. Beatriz Fernandez, Programme Officer, UNEP (t.b.c)
  • Ms. Youngah Kim, Associate Research and Policy Development Expert, UNOSD
  • Mr. Hannes MacNulty, Manager – Green Industry Platform, GGKP
  • Mr. Marcus Newbury, Statistician, Statistics Division, UN DESA

 

Session XI: Interactive Group Exercise: Bridging Data, Policy and Implementation Gaps

Moderator: Mr. Marcus Newbury, Statistician, Statistics Division, UN DESA

Facilitators: UNOSD/UN DESA/GGKP/UNEP

  • Group work to discuss regional challenges and propose actionable solutions for improving policy support systems including how to develop and implement National Data Task Forces for coordination on data collection and reporting.

 

Closing Session: Wrap Up and Feedback

Chairs: Ghana and GGKP

  • Final remarks from country delegates

 

Closing Remarks

  • Mr. Chun Kyoo Park, Head of UNOSD

 

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