UN Ghana Leads Coastal Clean-Up to Combat Plastic Pollution

The sound of the waves and the gentle sea breeze offer a soothing experience. Whether at sunrise or sunset, the shoreline along the Teshie-Nungua stretch in Ghana’s capital is truly a sight to behold. However, this beauty is only fully visible when you lift your gaze beyond the immediate shoreline and look toward the horizon. At your feet, the reality is stark. Plastic waste, rubber, fabric, and other debris litter the beach, choking the waters, killing life under the waters and marring the natural beauty.

This is not unique to Ghana, it’s a global issue. Plastics constitute a large portion of marine litter, with over eleven million metric tonnes estimated to enter the oceans annually. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) warns that our coastlines are under increasing strain due to intense human activity and the triple planetary crisis: pollution, biodiversity loss, and climate change. Alarmingly, of the 40% of coastlines that remain in a natural state, only 15% are considered intact.

Without urgent and collective action to protect and sustainably manage our oceans, we risk severe consequences, ranging from the collapse of marine ecosystems to threats to global food security and escalating climate impacts. 

Highlighting the dangers plastic pollution poses to marine operations, Captain Johnson Adjetey, a Senior Lecturer at the Nautical Department of the Regional Maritime University in Accra, Ghana, noted that plastics can even clog ship engines, posing significant hazards to maritime travel and trade. Captain Adjetey also cited instances where fishermen return from sea with more plastic waste than fish, a troubling indication of the growing threat plastic pollution poses to our food systems.

Sending a strong message that “ocean action can’t wait” and highlighting the importance of the 2025 UN Ocean Conference, held in Nice, France, the United Nations in Ghana mobilized a wide network of partners for a beach clean-up exercise. More than 200 participants, including members of the diplomatic corps, civil society, volunteers, and public institutions, gathered to lead by example.

“This clean-up is not just about removing litter; it’s about shifting mindsets,” said Mr. Edmond Moukala, UNESCO’s Country Representative in Ghana. “Protecting the ocean is a shared responsibility,” he added in his opening remarks.

Demonstrating their commitment, volunteers rolled up their sleeves and dug deep into the sand, retrieving fabric, plastic, and other debris that had been buried or washed ashore, determined to play their part in safeguarding the ocean.

The Deputy Head of Mission at the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Accra, Kyrre Holm, emphasized the need for renewed commitment to Sustainable Development Goal 14 and called for tangible, sustained action at the 2025 UN Ocean Conference.

By the end of the clean-up exercise, 2.8 metric tonnes of waste had been collected and prepared for haulage.

The energy and enthusiasm were palpable, and the suggestion by the National Information Officer at the UN Information Centre in Accra, Ms. Cynthia Prah, that the clean-up exercise becomes an annual event was met with resounding applause from participants.

This beach clean-up exercise was made possible thanks to all partners, including the Department of Global Communications of the United Nations, the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Accra, Plastic Punch, Buz Stop Boys, My Health Cop, Margins ID Group, Ecozoil, Zoomlion, Fidelity Bank Ghana Limited, as well as the many UN staff representing their agencies and volunteers from all walks of life. This collective act of service has made a meaningful contribution toward restoring the health of this stretch of ocean.

Much like the efforts of the 55 Heads of State and Government and 15,000 participants from civil society, business, and science who joined the UN Ocean Conference co-hosted by France and Costa Rica, this local action on the beach near the Regional Maritime University added to the global momentum for ocean protection.

We look forward to advancing the commitments outlined in the intergovernmentally agreed declaration adopted by 170 countries at the recently concluded UN Ocean Conference—an urgent call to conserve and sustainably use the ocean for present and future generations.