By Chinoyi Chipulu
Minister of Green Economy and Environment Mike Mposha says Zambia is an escalating waste management problem that has negatively impacted economic, environmental and social sustainability.
In a statement, Mposha stated that there were many opportunities in the country in developing waste-to-energy projects, waste-to-compost to support urban agriculture and scientifically engineered landfills.
He stated that waste also provided opportunities for investment.
“The country aspires to move towards a circular economy approach to transform how resources are used and managed. Zambia’s current linear waste management approach means that there are great opportunities for creating green jobs based on reduce, reuse and recycle principles,” he stated.
He stated that zambia had various policies that addressed waste and Circular Economy agenda, including government strategies, legislation and statutory instruments such as the National Policy on Climate Change, the National Solid Waste Management Strategy, the Solid Waste Management Strategy.
Zambia was elected council member of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), a 48-member international organisation chaired by former Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki Moon.
Mposha presented Zambia’s candidature to the 13th Session of the Assembly and the 17th Session of the Council at GGGI Headquarters in Seoul, Korea.
Zambia was unanimously elected at the GGGI , a treaty-based international organisation formed in 2012 that was dedicated to promoting sustainable economic growth in developing countries and emerging economies.
Ki Moon is the President of the Assembly and Chair of the Council of the GGGI, which has its headquarters in Seoul Korea.
Meanwhile, Ministry of Green Economy and Environment permanent secretary Douty Chibamba, Zambia’s Ambassador to Korea His Excellency Andrew Bwezani Banda, and National Designated Authority (NDA) Coordinator Billy Katontoka were part of the Zambian delegation to GGGI’s 13th Session of the Assembly and the 17th Session of the Council at GGGI Headquarters in Seoul, Korea.