Accra, Nov. 1, GNA - The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has won an international award for its work to phase out 4.0 ODP tonnes of CFCs in the atmosphere.

A statement issued by the Agency in Accra on Thursday said the award was the second following a previous one 10 year ago. The award said Ghana had remained methyl-bromide free from non-quarantine and pre-shipment uses since it signed onto the Vienna Convention in October 1983 and the Montreal protocol in 1989. A citation accompanying the award said: "Ghana established a national multi-stakeholder methyl bromide technical committee whose primary objective was to update the country's ozone depleting substances legislation to conform to the targeted elimination of methyl bromide by 2005.

"In 2006, with positive results to show the EPA - Ghana organized farmer's field school to introduce alternative techniques for controlling soil-borne pathogens to all farmers and agriculture extension officers. The training taught farmers safe handling of pesticides, modern methods of data collection, ecosystem analysis, the impact of the use of alternatives and how to evaluate the effectiveness of the improved methods against traditional farming practices." The citation said the EPA had shown that strong cooperation and strict controls accompanied by rigorous technical analysis could yield success.

The citation also said through the on-going outreach efforts, the EPA continued to encourage the application of the best refrigeration management practice among end users. The implementation of the end user incentive programme has allowed Ghana to adopt ozone friendly alternatives in a sustainable manner and placed the country in a good stead for compliance with the Montreal Protocols CFC phase-out provisions. The statement said, to date, a total of 37 companies had taken advantage of the project, resulting in the phasing out of 3.7 ODP tonnes of carbon fluorocarbons, representing a success rate of 93.6 per cent success rate.