The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has initiated a collaboration with the C40 Cities Finance Facility (CFF) to carry out community-based solid waste source separation and compost projects in Accra to help mitigate the effects of climate change. 

The collaboration which is supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)​​​​​​​ and Co-funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO), Agence française de développement (AFD), the C40 Cities Finance Facility (CFF) is expected to provide project preparation support to the city of Accra towards the implementation of the project. 

Before the implementation of the project, AMA will embark on a pilot community-based municipal solid waste source separation and compost project in selected communities

Speaking at the kick-off mission in Accra, on Tuesday, September 27, 2022, the Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE) of Accra, Hon. Elizabeth Kwatsoe Tawiah Sackey said the project was a means to build a sustainable circular waste management approach to address waste issues in Accra.

She said the project forms part of the target actions in the Climate Action Plan, to reduce the volumes of waste sent to the landfill sites adding that it would help provide the needed data for the scaling up of the project throughout the city. 

She explained that the project was approved last year after a proposal from the Assembly was selected and awarded for due diligence. 

"Last year, the Climate Facility Finance (CFF) Network under C40 cities and the (GiZ) opened a window for cities to present for support and implementation, projects that will help reduce carbon emissions. The city responded through the waste management department with a proposal for “Solid waste source separation and community composting” project. Out of the applications from all over the world, the Accra Metropolitan Assembly’s project proposal was selected and awarded for due diligence, she said. 

She used the opportunity to thank the C40 cities and their partners for their constant support to the city of Accra and was hopeful the project would help address the effects of climate change in Accra, Africa, and the world at large.

Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr. Osei Bonsu Amoah, said that the effects of climate change were devastating hence the need to intensify efforts of reducing, reusing, and recycling waste.

"We must manage our waste properly, especially in the rapidly big growing cities like Accra. Last year, the AMA launched the climate action plan which was supported by C40... We are aware that the CFF project will be embarking on supporting landscapes, and providing support for recycling, composting, and waste reuse. This cultivation is officially setting the tone for further collaboration among AMA and its support partners including C40, GIZ, the UK, and France," he said.

"It is also important to ensure that all stakeholders are involved to promote proper monitoring and support for this project.  And to ensure that this implementation will benefit wider communities towards job creation and access services and infrastructure," he added.

He highlighted programs such as the Local Climate Adaptive Living Project (LoCAL), Green Enterprise and Employment Opportunities in Ghana (Green), and the Gulf of Guinea social cohesion project as some of the projects the ministry was undertaking to militate against the threat of climate change.

African Regional Director for C40 cities, Hastings Chikoko underscoring the importance of the project, alluded that 44 percent of Accra's emissions were generated by the waste sector.

He added that the project would reduce open burning and waste dumping which he termed as big challenges to combating climate change while improving coverage of waste collection systems and consequently upgrading hygienic conditions in low-income communities.

Madam Cornelia Stolzenberg, Head of the GIZ E-Waste Programme under the German Ministry of Economic Development and Cooperation, said the C40 Cities Finance Facility was supporting the preparation of new green infrastructure in cities across the world with a focus on transportation, energy, adaptation, and waste measures to tackle the climate crises.

 She noted that the project had the potential to reduce annual GHG emissions by 168,079 tons CO2 equivalent and was expected to impact some 140,000 households.