{"id":105929,"date":"2025-12-08T19:29:50","date_gmt":"2025-12-08T19:29:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=105929"},"modified":"2025-12-08T19:29:50","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T19:29:50","slug":"ghana-lights-up-first-ever-plastics-leadership-awards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=105929","title":{"rendered":"Ghana lights up first-ever plastics leadership awards"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Accra was buzzing on the evening of 4 December, as stakeholders from across the plastics value chain, including policymakers, recyclers, grassroots waste collectors, private-sector innovators, and civil-society actors, filled the Marriott Hotel for the maiden Ghana Plastics Leadership Awards.<\/p>\n

The ceremony, organised by the Ghana National Plastic Action Partnership (NPAP), marked not only a celebration but also a bold recommitment to the circular-economy vision for plastics in Ghana.<\/p>\n

Under the resonant theme \u201cDriving Change, Shaping the Future: Ghana\u2019s Plastic Action Story\u201d,\u00a0the evening spotlight fell on those transforming Ghana\u2019s plastics challenge into opportunity, from informal-sector waste-pickers reclaiming value from discarded plastics to startups and institutions designing recycling solutions and policymakers crafting inclusive frameworks.<\/p>\n

\"Ghana<\/figure>\n

Celebrating Real Impact <\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the night\u2019s touching highlights was the \u201cCircular Economy Champion (Informal Sector Excellence) Award\u201d, which went to a veteran waste-picker, Lydia Bamfo.<\/p>\n

It underscored the importance that meaningful environmental change begins at the grassroots, and those often overlooked deserve to be in the spotlight.<\/p>\n

Other laurels went to entrepreneurs and organisations leading innovation in recycling, waste processing, and sustainable plastics management. <\/p>\n

One such winner, Mckingtorch Africa, was publicly celebrated for cutting-edge work in plastic circularity, proving that with creativity and commitment, waste can become value.<\/p>\n

More than a feel-good awards night, this was a reaffirmation of Ghana\u2019s growing resolve to tackle plastic pollution structurally\u00a0through collaboration, inclusivity and long-term vision, not short-term showmanship.<\/p>\n

Behind the Awards: Why NPAP\u2019s Work Matters<\/strong><\/p>\n

Since its formal launch in 2019, under the umbrella of the Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP), the Ghana NPAP has positioned itself as Ghana\u2019s central platform for multi-stakeholder action against plastic waste.<\/p>\n

Through a comprehensive framework, the initiative has delivered a National Plastic Action Roadmap and a Financing Roadmap and laid the groundwork for inclusive waste management policies, including recognition of informal waste collectors and interventions targeting social protection for vulnerable groups involved in plastic collection.<\/p>\n

In 2025 alone, the work gained momentum: a national assessment of the informal plastics sector, development of standards for recycled PET (rPET), and a strategic funding window to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) working to scale recycling and circular solutions.<\/p>\n

These systemic efforts help buttress the notion that Ghana is not simply chasing trophies: we\u2019re building a resilient, inclusive circular economy for plastics that can generate jobs, reduce pollution, and reclaim plastic as a resource rather than waste.<\/p>\n

What This Means: A Torchbearer for Circular Plastics in Africa<\/strong><\/p>\n

With this first edition of the Plastics Leadership Awards, Ghana has lit a torch, signalling both domestically and internationally that we are serious about shifting the narrative on plastics. <\/p>\n

This event offered a rare chance for the diverse players in the plastics ecosystem, from informal waste-pickers to corporate executives, to stand together.<\/p>\n

Beyond symbolism, the Awards can serve as a rallying point to boost morale, draw public attention, and encourage new entrants into the circular-economy space. If leveraged well, the energy from this night can catalyse greater investment, innovation, and widespread adoption of sustainable practices.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
CATEGORY<\/strong><\/td>\nWINNER<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Outstanding Contribution to Plastic Reduction\/Reuse Award<\/strong><\/td>\nPlastic Punch<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Outstanding Contribution to Plastic Collection Award<\/strong><\/td>\nAsase foundation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Outstanding Contribution to Recycling Infrastructure Award<\/strong><\/td>\nMohinani<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Community Impact Champion<\/strong><\/td>\nGAYO, SESA & LadMA<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Behaviour Change Leader Award<\/strong><\/td>\nPlastic Punch<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Exceptional Youth Champions<\/strong><\/td>\nGhana Youth Environmental Movement GYEM<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Gender & Social Inclusion Leaders<\/strong><\/td>\nCordie Aziz & Dr Owusu Boampong<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Plastic Creative Innovation Award<\/strong><\/td>\nMckingtorch Africa<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Circular Economy Champion Award (Informal Sector Excellence)<\/strong><\/td>\nLydia Bamfo<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Circular Economy Incubator\/Accelerator Leader<\/strong><\/td>\nImpact Footprints<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Excellence in Plastic Circularity Research<\/strong><\/td>\nUG IESS<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Outstanding Academic Institution in Plastics Leadership<\/strong><\/td>\nUniversity of Cape Coast (ACECoR)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Policy Impact Award<\/strong><\/td>\nMr Oliver Boachie<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Public Sector Honorary Award<\/strong><\/strong><\/td>\nMEST<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\"GhanaAccra was buzzing on the evening of 4 December, as stakeholders from across the plastics value chain. Policymakers, recyclers, grassroots waste-collectors, private-sector innovators, and civil-society actors filled the Accra Marriott Hotel for the maiden Ghana Plastics Leadership Awards.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":105930,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[536,1883,117,9765,10,9,13568],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-105929","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ghana","category-national","category-news","category-plastics","category-politics","category-popular","category-trailblazer"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105929","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=105929"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105929\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/105930"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=105929"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=105929"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=105929"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}