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Present Status of Environmentally Sound Management of Chemicals in Africa
Cleo MIGIROCleaner Production Centre of Tanzania and
Africa Roundtable on Sustainable Consumption and Production
Shem WANDIGA, Vincent MADADI and Peterson OLUMCentre for Science and Technology Innovation, University of Nairobi
Rene VAN BERKELUnited Nations Industrial Development Organization
Presentation to the 6th Session of the Committee on Food Security and Sustainable Development (CFSSD-6), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 29 October 2009
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Outline Scope of Review Background National Findings Present Status Implementation Challenges Conclusions Recommendations Africa’s Expectations
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Scope of Review A desk top study to:
Review international agreements and specific commitments therein for environmentally sound management of chemicals in Africa
Review status, effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability of international policy and best practice initiatives with regard to environmentally sound management of chemicals in Africa
Give a comparative assessment of the present status of environmentally sound management of chemicals in four African countries
Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa and Tanzania
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Background Use of chemicals is widespread and increasing in Africa
Areas of use include agriculture, industry, control of vector borne diseases, household products, water quality and sanitation services
Specific concerns include Importation of hazardous and obsolete chemicals and
products containing such chemicals Limited and/or non-availability of scientific and
technological capacities to safely handle chemicals
Lack and/or limited harmonization of policies and regulations at sub-regional and regional levels
Chemical management challenges due to rising population, urbanisation(sanitation), disease prevalence (and changes therein), modernisation of agriculture and (industrial) development, safe and quality water needs
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Production, Use, Storage and Disposal Africa trades in raw materials with little value addition
Chemicals and petroleum industries contribute 3-40% of GDP
The chemical industry is relatively undeveloped except in Northern and Southern African countries
Rain-fed agriculture provides backbone of economy Major source of hazardous and persistent substances in
environment Characterised by inappropriate agricultural practices, lack
of modern technology and techniques, disastrous climatic conditions, lack of awareness on the use of harmful products, lack of adequate laws and monitoring schemes on chemicals use
Importation of chemicals is on the rise Many countries have large (and partly unknown) stocks
of obsolete pesticides and other chemicals which cannot be disposed of safely
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Multilateral Environmental Agreements Four main international conventions:
Basel Convention Montreal Protocol Rotterdam Convention Stockholm Convention
Domestication and development of National Implementation Plans (NIPs) remain slow, except for Stockholm Convention
Diversity and scope are beyond immediate absorption and implementation capacity of many African countries
Slow pace of implementation Need to harmonise and integrate MEAs with risk-based
prioritization of commitments at national level Lack of implementation of Bamako Convention
due to lack of means of implementation Secretariat and financial and/or other instruments needed
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Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) SAICM has comprehensive scope and
ambitious goal of sound chemicals management by 2020 in line with the goals of the JPoI Multi-stakeholder and multi-sectoral initiative Endorsement at highest political levels Effective engagement of stakeholders
Civil society and private sector Emphasis on chemicals as a sustainable
development issue Efforts towards resource mobilization to build
developing country capacity Formal endorsement or recognition by the governing
bodies of intergovernmental organizations
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National Findings/1 Legislative framework
All countries are at different stages of putting in place relevant environmental legislation to support implementation of the MEAs
Enforcement of regulations for protecting human health and environment lags behind
Chemicals’ legislation is recent in most countries and typically lacks proper coordination among agencies responsible for different parts of life cycle of chemicals use
Sources of Chemicals Chemical production and formulation industries vary
from one country to another depending on the socio-economic activities and endowments of natural resources
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National Findings/2 National Chemical Profiles
Are in different stages of development, among the four countries led by South Africa
Africa Stockpile programme has assisted with destruction of some obsolete pesticide stockpiles
Globally Harmonized System (GHS) Implementation of GHS is at different stages in the four
countries Capacity
National Cleaner Production Centres active are in three of the countries in assisting businesses and other organisations to improve chemicals management
Awareness Creation Advocacy for environmentally sound management of
chemicals is still weak
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Present Status/1 Many countries have put in place sectoral policies and
institutions for environmentally sound management of chemicals
E.g. environmental management acts and associated institutions
The approach is so far, sector-wise, mainly through national secretariats of the MEAs on chemicals
National Cleaner Production Centres provide capacity for sound chemicals management particularly in businesses and other organisations
Limited quantification of chemicals flows, including obsolete stocks and hazardous compounds, inhibits planning and monitoring for chemicals management
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Present Status/2 Despite ratification, pace of domestication of MEAs
remains slow Good potential exists for cooperation and coordination at
sub-regional level Nationally directed technical assistance over-shadows
implementation potential of MEAs at regional and sub-regional levels
Africa has made good progress in phasing out leaded petrol but vigilance against other sources of lead and other metals is required
Awareness of possible risks posed by chemicals is still low among major segments of African population augmented by general lack of data on chemicals use
and safe use practices that prevent or minimise adverse impacts on human health and environment
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Present Status/3 Growing recognition for the role of
industries in chemicals management Own and/or can access technological and
management capacity and finance Inappropriate management by firms poses
avoidable risks to humans and environment Praiseworthy voluntary programmes
Including e.g. Responsible Care, Enviromark
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Implementation Challenges and Constraints Access to coherent information on chemicals and
methods and technologies for their environmentally sound use and disposal
Cooperation in development and transfer of technology of safe chemical substitutes and in development of capacity for their production
Harmonisation of trade, industry, agriculture, environment, health and chemical policies
Strengthening of institutions and policy making processes, ensuring that chemicals management is being mainstreamed in national plans, strategies and programmes
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Implementation Challenges (MEAs) Lack of national and regional chemicals management policy and
programs Limited or complete lack of collaboration among countries in the region Lack of financial support to maintain established activities in the region Lack of adequate capacity of existing regional structures such as the
Stockholm Convention/Basel Regional Centres Limited involvement of regional structures such as AU-NEPAD, UNECA
and AfDB programmes dealing with environmental and health issues Lack of regional approaches to the management of hazardous
chemicals in relation to environmental and health issues on the continent
Lack of chemical management issues in national and regional development agendas
Lack of collaboration within programs with more or less similar objectives
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Conclusions/1 Legislation and policies have been developed and enacted,
but at present implementation and enforcement are insufficient to prevent illegal dumping which contaminates air, water and land and poses risks to human health
Some countries have not yet developed and submitted their National Implementation Plans on chemicals or not even ratified all major chemicals conventions
There is a general lack of information on chemicals and hence limited advocacy on environmental and health aspects, in turn contributing to mismanagement and continued use of chemicals banned elsewhere
Most African countries are chemicals importers, with no manufacturing or export of chemicals
Development priorities are food security, basic health, primary education and poverty reduction, leading to less emphasis on chemical management
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Conclusions/2 Praiseworthy progress made in cleaning up some existing
stockpiles of obsolete chemicals (e.g. through ASP), but pace is slow due to limited resources
Should cover agriculture, industry and other significant chemical users Control of endemic diseases, particularly Malaria, is still critically
dependent on use of hazardous chemicals like DDT Lack of comprehensive monitoring of chemical contaminants
(e.g. POPs) in the environment prevents effective planning of remediation activities
Lack of comprehensive records of health impacts as a result of poisoning with chemicals and heavy metals, although some data on pesticides poisoning exist
Most African countries are not yet able to implement risk-based chemicals management due to lack of monitoring, risk analysis and evaluation capacities
Limited collaboration of government with private sector and civil society presents a barrier toward sound chemicals management
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Recommendations/1 Strengthen legislative framework of the African
countries in order to implement environmentally sound management of chemicals
Strengthen institutional capacities of the national and regional institutions to implement environmentally sound management of chemicals.
Support awareness creation and advocacy activities in the African countries to educate the public on adverse effects of hazardous chemicals
Promote application of environmentally sound technologies (including BAT/BEPs) in industrial and agricultural activities in the region as well as enhancing application of green technologies in the region
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Recommendations/2 Support mainstreaming and implementation of
MEAs and environmentally sound management of chemicals into national and regional development agenda such as poverty reduction strategies
Strengthen and expand existing programmes and initiatives on destruction of obsolete chemicals and decontamination of contaminated sites
Support development of affordable and effective alternatives to banned chemicals such as DDT and Lindane given their importance for public health and agricultural development in Africa
Support implementation of comprehensive inventories of chemicals in African countries to facilitate planning and management of chemicals
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Expectations from Africa African countries
Expect continuous support for sustainable industrial development and greening of their industry and economy
Environmentally sound management of chemicals to become an integral element of financial, technical and other support provided by development partners
Stand to benefit from enhanced compliance with provisions of MEAs
Banning or otherwise preventing trade and/or transfer of obsolete technologies and hazardous waste and chemicals
Requires capacity building Acknowledge that their effective participation and
engagement in international chemicals negotiations have been limited and are therefore concerned that their national development needs and priorities may not have been addressed adequately in past negotiations
Proliferation of meetings under MEAs Requires capacity building of African negotiators
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Thank You
Cleaner and Sustainable Production Unit
Environmental Management Branch
PO Box 300, A 1400 Vienna, Austria
