The Centre for Climate Change and Food Security (CCCFS) welcomes the policy announcements made by President John Dramani Mahama to promote sustainability and protect Ghana’s environment. The President’s directive to phase out the use of wood in school furniture and to ban the importation and production of styrofoam packaging marks a step toward building a more climate-resilient and circular economy. These directives align closely with CCCFS’s long-standing advocacy for sustainable materials, circular economy practices, and waste reduction.
Speaking on World Environment Day 2025, President Mahama announced that school desks will no longer be made of wood but instead from recycled plastic or metal, a move aimed at reducing deforestation and promoting responsible resource use. CCCFS commends this policy as a strong example of environmentally responsible public procurement that can drive systemic change. It also reinforces CCCFS’s earlier position, especially following our endorsement of the February 2024 report “The Fraud of Plastic Recycling” by the Center for Climate Integrity, where CCCFS’s Environmental and Climate Economist, Dr Alexander Nti Kani, warned that plastic recycling is often a public deception, particularly in countries like Ghana with limited waste infrastructure.
“Plastic recycling is, indeed, a deception,” Dr Kani stated, calling for a phase-out of single-use plastics and urging investment in long-term environmental planning and policy reform.
Equally significant is the President’s pledge to ban Styrofoam, a non-biodegradable pollutant that clogs drains, pollutes water bodies, and endangers wildlife. The proposed shift to paper and aluminium-based food packaging represents a decisive move away from harmful single-use plastics and aligns with the global call to “Beat Plastic Pollution,” the theme of this year’s World Environment Day.

A STEP FORWARD, BUT MORE PLANNING IS NEEDED
While CCCFS fully supports the shift away from wooden school desks, which will reduce pressure on Ghana’s forests, we urge the government to develop a clear end-of-life plan for the proposed recycled plastic or metal desks. Without a defined recovery and recycling system, obsolete, damaged, or broken desks risk becoming secondary pollutants in the Ghanaian environment.
We caution that without proper lifecycle planning, Ghana may inadvertently replace one environmental challenge with another. The success of this otherwise progressive initiative will depend not only on the materials used, but on how those materials are managed at the end of their use.

CCCFS calls on the government to:
(a).Enact enforceable legislation to support these policy shifts;
(b).Develop a national product stewardship framework for post-use recovery of school furniture;
(c).Establish partnerships with local recyclers and manufacturers to enable take-back and reuse systems;
(d).Implement a transition plan to support manufacturers and artisans affected by the ban in adopting eco-friendly production methods;
(e).Ensure that recycled plastic and metal used in furniture meet health, safety, and durability standards;
(f).Launch public awareness campaigns to promote behavioural change around packaging and plastic waste;
(g).Support community education on responsible disposal and circular economy principles; and
(h).Ensure that any alternative material introduced does not pose new risks to public health or the environment.

Plastic pollution remains a systemic threat, infiltrating our food, water, and air. Without engineered solutions and accountability, even well-intentioned alternatives can become

environmental burdens. CCCFS stands ready to support the government in ensuring that Ghana’s transition toward sustainability is not only bold, but also strategically planned, transparent, and enduring.
Signed
Dr Alexander Nti Kani
Deputy Director of Research (Environment & Climate Economist)
Centre for Climate Change and Food Security (CCCFS)
+233 – 0246514051