Most of Africa’s rural towns and burgeoning cities, rivers, and coastlines are increasingly becoming environmentally hazardous due to plastic pollution, as the demand for plastic products and expertise has made Africa a significant player in the global packaging and plastics market.
Africa’s plastic industry is experiencing rapid growth as demand for plastic goods and machinery continues to rise.
Africa’s overall economy is currently expanding. Many African countries have experienced several years of strong economic growth (ranging from 8-12% in 2020), and the continent is now one of the world’s fastest-growing markets for plastic goods and machinery.
With a growing economy, a population of over 680 million people, and the potential for significant long-term growth, the African continent has become a priority market for many international corporations.
Plastics production machinery (PME) and plastic material resins (PMR) are two of the areas identified as opportunities for international companies. The growing demand for plastic goods throughout Africa is also a conversation that needs to be addressed.
Plastic Production in Some African Countries
In Kenya, demand for consumer plastic products has been growing at an average rate of 10-20% annually. Kenya’s consumer spending has been spurred largely due to sweeping economic reforms that have led to overall economic development in many sectors and subsequently improved the disposable incomes of the rising middle class in Kenya. As a result, imports of plastic materials and resins into Kenya have been registering steady growth in the last two years.
Uganda, as a landlocked country, imports the majority of its plastic and packaging requirements from regional and international suppliers and has emerged as a major importer of plastics in the East African region. Plastic moulded furniture, plastic housewares, woven sacks, bags, ropes, plastic shoes, PVC pipes/fittings/electrical fittings, plumbing and drainage systems, plastic building materials, toothbrushes, and plastic household products are among the major imports.
In recent years, Ethiopia has emerged as a major importer of plastic goods and machinery. Ethiopian traders and wholesalers have been importing a wide range of plastic goods and machinery, including moulds for plastics, GI Pipes, Dies & Moulds for Plastic Films, Plastic Packaging material, Kitchen Plastic Products, Pipes & Fittings, to name a few. The sheer size of the market makes Ethiopia an attractive market in Africa for the plastics industry: Ethiopia is Africa’s tenth largest country with a population of approximately 80 million people.
Unquestionably, when it comes to the plastics and packaging industry, South Africa is one of the continent’s major players. High demand for conversion technologies like thermoforming, extrusion, injection, blow, and blow moulding. Products such as film, sheets, packaging supplies, kitchenware, furniture, pipes, footwear, and industrial parts are in high demand. South Africa’s plastics industry is thought to benefit from recycled plastics and environmentally friendly plastics due to the developed nature of the nation.
Negative Effects of Plastic Production in Africa
In many African cities and villages, improper disposal of plastic waste can create breeding grounds for disease-carrying mosquitoes. In addition, the burning of plastic waste, a common practice in some regions of Africa, releases harmful pollutants into the air, including toxic gases and particulate matter. Inhaling these pollutants can cause respiratory problems, exacerbate existing respiratory conditions, and contribute to air pollution-related diseases.
Across the continent, there is barely any plastic treatment infrastructure in place. The indiscriminate disposal of plastic will likely reduce the porosity of soil to the point of breaking the regeneration cycle of water resources and reducing the quality of soils for agricultural practice. Therefore, plastic pollution also has huge environmental and socio-economic consequences, including the degradation of ecosystems. This can have indirect health impacts as it disrupts the balance of ecosystems that provide essential services, such as water purification, carbon sequestration, and disease regulation, and can undermine local economies and livelihoods through food insecurity.
How African Countries Can Address The Impact of Plastic Pollution on Health?
Addressing the impacts of plastic pollution on health in Africa and the world at large, the United Nations created World Environment Day in 1972 as a result of discussions about fusing human interactions with the environment at the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment (5–16 June 1972). The first WED was held with the theme “Only One Earth” a year later, in 1973.
It has been a platform for raising awareness on such environmental issues as marine pollution, overpopulation, global warming, sustainable development, and wildlife crime.
World Environment Day is a global platform for public outreach and participation involving over 143 countries annually. Each year, the programme has provided a theme and forum for businesses, non-government organisations, communities, governments, and celebrities to advocate for environmental causes.
The World Environment Day theme for 2023 is “Solution to Plastic Pollution, and the event was hosted by Côte d’Ivoire. It is a reminder that people’s actions on plastic pollution matter.
The steps governments and businesses are taking to tackle plastic pollution are the consequence of this action. It is time to accelerate this action and transition to a circular economy.