Zambia joins Global Green Growth Institute Council, aims to tackle waste management challenges

Zambia has been elected as a council member of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), a 48-member international organization chaired by former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Minister of Green Economy and Environment, Mike Mposha, presented Zambia’s candidature during the 13th Session of the Assembly and the 17th Session of the Council at GGGI Headquarters in Seoul, Korea.

Zambia was unanimously elected.

Founded in 2012, the GGGI is a treaty-based international organization dedicated to promoting sustainable economic growth in developing countries and emerging economies, according to a statement issued in Lusaka on Saturday.

Ban Ki-moon served as the President of the Assembly and Chair of the Council.

During a Ministerial Panel Discussion under the theme “Addressing Plastic Pollution in the Context of Green Growth,” Mposha highlighted Zambia’s growing waste management challenges, which are negatively impacting economic, environmental, and social sustainability.

However, he noted that waste also presented investment opportunities.

“There are many opportunities in Zambia in developing waste-to-energy projects, waste-to-compost to support urban agriculture, and scientifically engineered landfills,” he stated.

Mposha said: “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 the principles of reduce, reuse, and recycle.”

He also mentioned that Zambia had various policies addressing waste and the circular economy, including government strategies, legislation, and statutory instruments such as the National Policy on Climate Change and the National Solid Waste Management Strategy.

The Zambian delegation to GGGI’s 13th Session of the Assembly and the 17th Session of the Council includes Ministry of Green Economy and Environment Permanent Secretary. Dr. Douty Chibamba, Zambia’s Ambassador to Korea, Andrew Banda, and National Designated Authority (NDA) Coordinator Billy Katontoka.

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