Stakeholders in the e-waste business urged to formalize operations
Operators in the electronic waste (e-waste) business have been urged to come together and formalize their operations to ensure a more regulated and sanitized sector.
The call on the Operators would also ensure that disposal of such electronic waste were carried out in an environmentally friendly manner bearing in mind climate change and constant depletion of the ozone layer due to harmful human activities.
Professor Rosemond Boohene, a lecturer at the University of Cape-Coast and the Project Lead of the E-waste Management in Ghana (E-MAGIN Ghana) project, said this at a workshop to raise awareness of Operators on the need to formalize their activities.
The workshop, brought together people in the informal Micro,Small and Medium-Enterprises (MSMEs) in the Western and Central Regions and tutored them on registration processes with the Registrar General’s Department and the Ghana Revenue Authority for Tax identification Numbers (TINs) as well as forming associations.
It was sponsored by the European Union (EU) and partnered by the University of Cape-Coast, Adelphi Germany, City Wastes Recycling and Ghana National Cleaners Production Centre.
She added that bringing the two Regions together was also to initiate a bond between the two Regions to share ideas and reflect on the practical opportunities and challenges under the new legal regime and other Technical Guidelines.
Professor Boohenes aid incorporating the informal sector into the formal E-waste management activities would promote sound collection, dismantling and recycling of discarded E-waste.
She added that the participants were provided with knowledge on some business fundamentals including how to market their products and how they could access finances from financial institutions to expand their businesses.
“They were also briefed on the current progress of E-waste collection centres in the country and how they could obtain permit to operate a collection center”, she added.
Mr. Ebenezer Kumi, an international partner of E-MAGIN and of Adelphi Germany reiterated that many scrap dealers were in the informal sector which required formal education to ensure that standards in handling such E-waste were stringently adhered to.
“We need to bring all of them into the formal sector so they could be sensitized to know the dangers associated with burning E-waste and halt that practice”, he added.
Mr Abraham Dsane of the Corporate Department of Cal Bank and in charge of Green financing explained that the Green financing was a product to support enterprises whose activities had impact on the environment.
He added that the Bank was ready to provide support to budding businesses in the green space to ensure sustainability.
Mr Benjamin Afful-Eshun, Chief Executive Officer of Ahantaman Rural Bank took the participants through how they could access finances from the bank to expand their respective business entities.
Source: GNA