18 October 2011, Accra – In the context of the GEF/UNDP/UNITAR/EPA-Ghana Project on Capacity Building for the Elimination of PCBs in Ghana, a Project Steering Committee was held in Accra on 18 October 2011. The Committee reviewed progress to date, the current workplan for 2011 and in particular progress related to the inventory of electrical transformers in Ghana. The next Committee meeting will take place in December 2011.

The project in Ghana is aimed at strengthening the capacities and capabilities of government officials and stakeholders outside of government to address PCB identification, and manage existing sources of PCBs as well as their elimination/destruction, as identified as a priority in the National Implementation Plan for Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). The project develops and implements a strategy, and the required steps, from the current unsustainable management of PCB-containing equipment to sound management and disposal practices. The strategy commenced by strengthening the legal framework and the management capacity both within government institutions and among PCB holders. The project will also eliminate, as a first step, the PCB-containing equipment, mainly transformers, and in a second step start phasing out PCB-contaminated equipment.

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a class of man-made compounds that were manufactured and used extensively in electrical equipment such as transformers and capacitors. However, PCBs are considered to be immunotoxic and affect reproduction. Once released into the environment, PCBs do not break down but travel over long distances and continue to pose health risks to humans and a danger to the environment. PCBs are a listed chemical under the Stockholm Convention on POPs.