The Republic of Rwanda has seen unprecedented population growth and rapid economic development in the last two decades, positioning it as an international development role model for Africa and beyond. But as the population grows, so does the challenge of managing chemicals and waste.
To secure a more sustainable future for its people and the natural resources on which they depend, Rwanda is working with the Chemicals and Waste Management Programme of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Through this partnership, Rwanda aims to implement clean production processes to protect its citizens and its unique geography, which is dominated by mountains in the west and savannahs to the east, with numerous lakes dotting its elevated terrain.
Great development - a great chemical and waste management responsibility
Kigali, Rwanda’s capital, is a microcosm of the country’s challenges with chemicals and waste. The city’s municipal waste is estimated to have doubled over the past ten years due to population growth. The Nduba landfill, an open-air dumping site, is subject to issues such as vermin infestations and spontaneous combustions. The health impacts posed by these occurrences, coupled with the leaching of toxic chemicals into groundwater supplies, can cause illness among its citizens.
Several factors contribute to Rwanda’s struggle with chemicals and waste management. Growing industries like agriculture and health care contribute to the generation of solid waste, persistent organic pollutants and mercury waste. The burning of waste products, especially those containing chlorinated chemicals, releases toxic substances into the air, while the illegal dumping of products like electronics and paint near recreational, agricultural and even residential land causes toxins to seep into water and soil or contaminate the air. When this happens, the impacts are felt not just in Rwanda, but also in neighbouring countries whose air and water are interconnected.
Partnership with UNEP
The country is a party to the Basel, Rotterdam, Stockholm and Minamata Conventions, protective UN instruments that deal with key aspects of chemicals and waste management. To increase its capacity to implement these instruments, the government of Rwanda, with the support of the Special Programme, will:
- Establish a Chemicals and Waste National Steering Committee;
- Develop an information management system;
- Create guidance for handling, collecting, and disposing of chemicals and waste for key sectors, in line with existing guidance available under the instruments; and
- Support training and awareness-raising campaigns to promote best practices for handling chemicals and hazardous waste.
Rwanda expects that this project will help the country see improved national coordination of information and data and increased capacity of chemicals-consuming sectors to handle, collect, and dispose of chemicals and hazardous waste.
The resulting improved system will not only help Rwanda meet its commitments to international agreements, but also achieve sustainable growth that safeguards human and environmental health.
Towards sustainable development
The government of Rwanda has existing measures to soundly manage chemicals and waste. For example, in 2008, it became one of the first countries to enact plastic bag ban laws. Rwanda also emphasizes a circular economy and has five recycling plants, including one of the region's only electronic waste recycling plants.
Rwanda’s partnership with the Special Programme aims to supplement its domestic measures to minimize waste generation and mark an important stride in the nation’s history of sustainable chemicals and waste management. The partnership, expected to run for three years, will focus on filling critical gaps that have hindered Rwanda’s progress to date in managing chemicals and waste, such as insufficient data and inadequate institutional coordination.
For further information please contact the Special Programme Secretariat at unepchemicalsspecialprogramme@un.org
