The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved funding for an innovative regional project aimed at improving the management of hazardous chemicals and waste in eleven of Africa’s least developed countries.
The project, titled “Increasing Investments and Technology Transfer to Facilitate Capacity Building and Technical Assistance for the Implementation of the Stockholm and Minamata Conventions in Least Developed Countries in Africa – Phase 2” (AFLDC-2), will receive $21.3 million in grant funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The AfDB will provide co-financing from its existing portfolios, including urban, agricultural, and agro-industrial development initiatives.
The project will focus on eleven countries: Angola, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Liberia, Mauritania, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo, Uganda, and Zambia. It aims to address critical challenges related to the management of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and mercury, including the disposal of obsolete chemical stocks, the reduction of toxic emissions, and the management of pollution at the source.
By strengthening national capacities and promoting environmentally sound practices and a circular economy, the AFLDC-2 project will contribute to improving public health and environmental outcomes in these countries while ensuring compliance with international conventions such as the Stockholm and Minamata Conventions.
Gareth Phillips, Head of the AfDB’s Climate and Environment Finance Division, emphasized the significance of this project, stating, “The AFLDC-2 project marks a decisive step in Africa’s efforts to address the challenges posed by hazardous chemicals and waste.” He further highlighted that this project, being the first AfDB project funded exclusively under the GEF’s Chemicals and Waste focal area, sets an important precedent for future initiatives.
The AfDB expressed its commitment to leading this transformational effort towards a “cleaner, healthier, and more resilient Africa.”
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