Sharing knowledge and learning about marine litter in West Africa

Marine litter is a global problem that affects countries around the world, and those along Africa’s Atlantic coastline are no exception. This litter poses an increasing risk to ecosystems, wildlife, human health, tourism and fisheries. But how big is the problem of plastic waste in the coastal waters of West African countries? What steps are being taken to address the marine litter problem in the region?

To find out the answers to these questions, GRID-Arendal has teamed up with UN Environment, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the Abidjan Convention to hold a series of workshops in southern, central and northern West Africa. The first workshop was held on 3-5 September in Accra, Ghana, and two more workshops are planned for the coming weeks in Namibia (17-19 September) and Morocco (24-26 September). 

Participants in the workshops are government officials, regional experts and representatives of agencies having an interest in waste management and marine litter. The aim of the workshops is to gather regional and national information and local knowledge into a comprehensive West Africa Marine Litter Desktop study. This is a necessary step towards the West Africa Marine Litter Action Plan, as called for by a United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) resolution on the subject.

The topics covered in the workshops reveal the complexity of the problem. Here are some of the questions that workshop participants are addressing: Are there “hot spots” of high litter concentration in your country? Where are they? What does the waste consist of (food, glass, paper, plastic, etc.)? Where does it come from (the land, fishing operations, other sea-based industries)? Is the problem getting worse in your country? What steps has your government taken to tackle the problem?

People in West Africa speak many languages, with most of their scientific reports written in French, Portuguese or English. Many reports are not available online, and there is much information that resides only in the brains of experts. This is why holding the workshops is so important – it is the only way to access much of the knowledge existing in the region.

Participants in the workshops will also benefit from the exchange of ideas and information. Interacting in a workshop environment allows people to learn about new methods and ways of doing business, and make contacts as well as new friends. Working together to gather information about marine litter in West Africa into a single document will help countries and initiatives such as the Global Partnership on Marine Litter to take action. Healthy oceans are the essential prerequisite to attain Sustainable Development Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.