About
The West-African country of Ghana is one of two countries in the region with major inflow of imported electronic waste (e-waste) with Nigeria being the other one. According to estimates, up to 9 kg of e-waste per capita was imported to Ghana in 2009, piling up to 215,000 tons in total. The Agbogbloshie scrapyard of e-waste and car wrecks, located directly within the urban area of the capital city of Accra, became known all over the globe as a toxic hot spot due to vast contamination of the site with heavy metals and persistent organic pollutants (POPs), such as dioxins or brominated flame retardants. There are many more waste management related problems in Ghana causing serious toxic pollution. In several cities, not very well equiped hospital medical waste incinerators are in operation, potentially harming the environment.
Thanks to the support of the Swedish government and through the cross-boarder partnership with the IPEN network, Arnika cooperates with Ghanaian scientists on sampling of several hot spots in order to find out levels of potential contamination of food chain by POPs.
News
05.12.2019
SEATTLE
The Basel Ban Amendment, adopted by the Parties to the Basel Convention on the Control of the Transboundary Movement of Hazardous and Their Disposal in 1995,…
24.04.2019
GÖTEBORG
New research from IPEN and Basel Action Network (BAN) reveals dire human exposures and food chain contamination from highly toxic plastics in waste in Ghana…
06.12.2018
KUMASI
Kumasi is the second largest city of Ghana and the capital of the Ashanti region. It is home to His Royal Majesty Asantehene ("Emperor-King") Otumfuo Nana Osei…
05.12.2018
ACCRA
The small red brick shed is located between the main building and the mortuary of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Ghana's capital. It was put into operation…
03.12.2018
ACCRA
The pungent odor is the first to give away the Agbogbloshie scrapyard. The thick smell of burning plastic covers the whole area around, yet the locals do not…
Photogallery
06.12.2018
KUMASI
Two days after visiting the shutdown Korle Bu medical waste incinerator in Accra, we came to a similar facility in operation. It was opened for operation just…
05.12.2018
ACCRA
Chickens, goats, dogs, and larger lizards are not the only animals living next to the medical waste of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital. People's homes are…
03.12.2018
ACCRA
In 2013, Agbogbloshie was listed among the top 10 polluted places in the world. In Ghana, e-waste recyclers used primitive methods to remove plastic insulation…
Publications
24.04.2019
ACCRA / KUMASI
This study investigated POP contamination at a total of six sites: the world's largest scrap yard in Agbogbloshie (Ghana); medical waste incinerators in Accra…
24.04.2019
ACCRA
New study carried out by IPEN and Basel Action Network (BAN) reveal how weak controls in international treaties allow export to e-waste developing countries,…