Takoradi, Aug. 05, GNA – Mr Eric Gyenin, the Country Coordinator for the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), says Ghana’s transition from a linear to circular economy could bridge the youth unemployment gap, while ensuring environmental stewardship.
He was speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), at Takoradi, on the Ghana Circular Economy Centre (GCEC) Project, being implemented by UNIDO in partnership with the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology, with funding support from the Global Affairs Canada.
He said the GCEC Project was a five-year initiative that sought to establish a centre to support Ghana’s shift from a linear to a circular economy for economic and environmental sustainability and it was being implemented with focus on the agriculture and agro-processing, textiles, and plastics sectors.
The project was anchored on five pillars namely: the establishment of a physical circular economy centre; training and capacity building for women and youth in the circular economy value; and provision of technical assistance for circular economy technologies and businesses, he said.
The rest are access to financial support for innovative circular economy projects, and networking; and knowledge exchanges on best circular economy practices.
He stated that the Ho Technical University serves as the host institution for the centre, and University of Cape Coast, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, and the OR Foundation were key leads in the implementation value chain.
Mr Gyenin stated that the project was a game changer in resolving the unemployment situation in the country, noting that it would promote inclusive growth, unlock investment opportunities and create jobs through innovative and sustainable practices.
“Once we begin to go circular, it will increase the number of people who will work in the value chain of the various sectors that we are targeting, meaning waste from these areas would go through a circular process and come back into production.
“So, in all, if you look at the project’s spectrum, it is targeting unemployment and certainly a game changer in the context of job creation.” Gyenin said.
The UNIDO Country Coordinator said the idea of moving from a linear to a circular economy would also help boost Ghana’s industrialisation agenda to ensure an inclusive economic growth through a low-carbon economy, particularly for women, youth, and the informal sector.
On how the project could support government’s 24-Hour Economy policy, Mr Gyenin said if Ghana wanted her economy to run round the clock, then everything must go circular, saying he believed that this project was going to help open up Ghanaian industries, by recycling of waste materials into things needed to feed production.
By Emmanuel Gamson, GNA
