Murtala Muhammed, the Minister-designate for Environment, Science and Technology, has asserted that banning the importation of plastic bags in Ghana is not a viable solution at this time.
He emphasised the need for comprehensive dialogue on plastic management and the development of sustainable alternatives to address the issue.
Expressing concern over the indiscriminate disposal of plastics, Murtala Muhammed highlighted the importance of adopting a strategic and phased approach.
Appearing before the Appointments Committee of Parliament yesterday, Mr. Murtala Muhammed said, “You don’t just ban because there’s a challenge, you need to be looking for alternatives. So if you don’t have alternatives and you go ahead with to ban, the consequences will be dire.
“What I think I will do is let’s have a comprehensive study on the issue. And find out the alternatives, and how we support our domestic industry to come out with, if you like, reusable containers, and biodegradable packaging.
“And these are the things other countries have done. Rwanda didn’t just ban, they came up with some of these things. They stabilised the system before banning it. So I think that is what I will do.”
Galamsey fight
Mr. Murtala Muhammed has argued that the fight against illegal mining widely known as galamsey should be led by the Ministry of Environment rather than the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources.
Answering a question of the galamsey menace, the Minister-designate questioned the current approach, suggesting that the Ministry of Lands has been accused, whether justifiably or not, of being involved in the galamsey problem and should not be at the forefront of efforts to combat it.
“If you ask me my personal view, I think the issue of fighting galamsey should be led by the Ministry of Environment, not the Ministry of Lands. The Ministry of Lands has been accused, rightly or wrongly, of being a participant in the galamsey menace. So it shouldn’t be the Ministry of Lands taking the lead,” Mr. Muhammed Murtala stated.
His call for restructuring the fight against galamsey comes as Ghana continues to grapple with the environmental and economic impacts of illegal mining, particularly on water bodies, forests, and farmlands.
Mr Murtala Mohammed further criticised the previous inter-ministerial committee set up to tackle galamsey, highlighting the exclusion of the Ministry of Environment.
According to him, “The reason galamsey is a major issue is because of the destruction of the environment and its consequences on livelihoods. Therefore, the Ministry of Environment should play a lead role in addressing this.”
“It was mind-boggling that the Ministry of Environment, Science, and Technology was not even on that committee,” he added.
