Africa’s plastic waste bans struggle with enforcement reality

From the newsletter

Ghana is set to phase out single-use plastics starting this month through a comprehensive waste management and recycling strategy. This follows a failed 2015 attempt to partially ban plastics thinner than 20 microns, mainly targeting plastic food packaging, which faltered due to enforcement challenges.

• Single-use plastics are widely used across Africa due to convenience and low cost. However, they cause severe pollution due to their non-biodegradability and persistent environmental harm.

• Several countries on the continent have shown commitment to reducing plastic use through bans and policies. However, weak enforcement remains a major obstacle to meaningful and lasting impact.

More details

• According to Professor Nana Ama Klutse, CEO of Ghana’s Environmental Protection Authority, the plan includes a waste segregation policy to educate citizens on proper disposal, reduce plastic waste and create jobs. The strategy aims for a gradual, full ban on single-use plastics, starting with factories.

• She emphasised, “We want to avoid plastic waste as much as possible. We are trying to ban plastics in Ghana, we want to do it slowly.”

• Across Africa, several countries have introduced bans on single-use plastics to curb environmental degradation. According to Greenpeace, by 2020, 34 African countries had responded with regulations targeting the production, sale and use of plastic bags and packaging.

• Yet, despite increasing legislative momentum, enforcement remains the weakest link in most national efforts. Professor Nana Ama Klutse acknowledges enforcement challenges such as pushback from plastics-producing companies, which contributed to the failure of Ghana’s first attempt in 2015.

• In Malawi, efforts to enforce the first plastic ban in 2015 faced legal challenges, with the High Court initially overturning it after opposition from 14 plastic manufacturers who claimed it was “an infringement of business rights.” However, the ruling was later overturned by seven Supreme Court judges who upheld the original ban.

• Another major challenge is extending restrictions to the informal sector, including street vendors and local markets, where plastic use is widespread and difficult to regulate effectively.

• Despite these hurdles, some countries have made notable progress. Rwanda, for instance, is often hailed as the continent’s success story. Since 2008, it has maintained one of Africa’s most enduring plastic bag bans. This success stems from strong central governance, ongoing public education and the integration of enforcement into its Umuganda system, a monthly community clean-up that also reinforces civic duty. 

• Kenya followed Rwanda’s lead in 2017, making it illegal to use, import or manufacture plastic carrier bags, a law described by Greenpeace as the “strictest ban on single-use plastic in the world” owing to the heavy financial and legal cost of non-compliance. However, enforcement has been uneven. Corruption, continued illegal production and the sheer number of informal vendors have made long-term compliance difficult. Black markets remain active, with many small traders operating below the radar.

• Its neighbour Tanzania introduced a plastic bag ban in 2019 with similarly strict penalties. Still, enforcement remains weak, particularly in rural areas where public awareness is limited and alternatives to plastic are either costly or unavailable. Cross-border smuggling from countries with more relaxed laws also undermines national efforts.

• South Africa has opted for a different path, requiring plastic bags to include a minimum amount of recycled content and imposing levies instead of outright bans. While this strategy encourages change, its success depends on manufacturer self-reporting and regulatory oversight, both of which have proven hard to maintain.

• In West Africa, Nigeria—the continent’s most populous country—has repeatedly proposed plastic bans at the federal level, but none have been successfully implemented nationwide. Weak coordination between agencies, insufficient funding and the dominance of informal plastic production continue to hamper enforcement. Some states, like Lagos, plan to implement a ban on single-use plastics starting July.

• These varied experiences reveal that while legislative frameworks are crucial, success ultimately depends on consistent enforcement, public engagement, and addressing economic realities, particularly in the informal sector. 

Our take

• For plastic bans to work in Africa, governments must move beyond legislation and invest in enforcement. Without this, bans risk becoming symbolic gestures rather than solutions to the continent’s growing plastic pollution crisis.

• A more coordinated regional approach—including harmonised trade policies, stronger cross-border cooperation and support for the informal recycling sector—could help Africa move closer to a plastic-free future.

• The World Environment Day 2025 theme—“Beat Plastic Pollution”—is a timely reminder that the global fight against plastic waste hinges on local implementation. Africa’s bans must move from political slogans to practical steps that address enforcement gaps and informal sector inclusion.