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President John Dramani Mahama has announced bold environmental policy measures, including a nationwide ban on wooden school furniture and Styrofoam products, as part of a renewed push to combat deforestation and pollution in Ghana.
Speaking at the World Environment Day celebration in Accra on Thursday, June 5, the president unveiled a set of decisive actions under the theme “Restore Our Earth: From Words to Action”.
“We have been planting trees and cutting them down at the same time,” President Mahama said, pointing to the contradiction between Ghana’s afforestation campaigns and the widespread use of timber for school furniture.
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To address this, he revealed plans to issue a formal directive prohibiting the use of wood in the production of school desks and chairs, signalling a shift toward eco-friendly alternatives such as recycled plastic and metal.
President Mahama also announced that his administration would ban the importation and local production of Styrofoam, commonly used in food packaging, due to its detrimental impact on the environment.
“One of the most polluting is Styrofoam plastics… That is one of the biggest polluters. So, we’re going to ban the importation of Styrofoam plastics,” he declared.
The president noted that aluminium foil and paper packaging would serve as sustainable alternatives and called on manufacturers and importers to begin adjusting their operations in anticipation of the new policy.
“The Ministry of Environment will soon take steps to formally ban both the import and production of Styrofoam in Ghana.”
The announcement has been met with cautious optimism. The Furniture and Wood Products Association of Ghana (FAWAG) has already stated that local producers are well-prepared for the transition, having embraced metal furniture manufacturing for schools over the past two decades.
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