CARITAS Ghana, in partnership with the Archdiocese, Tamale, through funding from GIZ has set up a plastic reprocessing plant in Tamale, the capital city of the Northern Region.

The project has a processing capacity of 1000kg per day and it is expected to recycle the plastic waste, turn it into a material of value and sell it to plastic companies.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Tamale, Most Rev Philip Naameh said the project will address two important challenges facing the region.

He said it is to tackle plastic waste pollution and also provide jobs for people.

“The Catholic Church in Northern Ghana is deeply committed to stemming the annual exodus, especially young girls going to big cities in the southern sector for menial jobs under very dehumanizing conditions."

Rev. Philip Naameh called on the government to support the Archdiocese to help tackle the sanitation problem and youth unemployment in the country.

He also urged GIZ and other donor partners to continue to support a planet-saving project like this which is aimed at saving the environment from plastic pollution.

Mr Martin Ahurlu, who is the director of the Tamale Metro waste management, at the commissioning ceremony thanked Archdiocese and its partners for the initiative.

Mr Martin elaborated that, time pass, Tamale metro used to be one of the cleaners city in Ghana but as the city expands, sanitation became a problem.

“Currently we are producing close to 500tons of waste a day, the Assembly is also challenged, in terms of logistics and other things to deal with the situation."

Mr Martin stressed that government alone can not win the fight except our collective effort.

He said it has always been the wish of the Assembly to have partners like this to help in the fight.

“The assembly is ever ready to support you in all diverse ways to make this project a sustainable one such that we can clean up the city and make it one of the cleanest in Ghana."