The inaugural African Marine Waste Conference took place July 9th – 13th, 2017 in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. The conference was attended by approximately 230 delegates from 9 African states and a further 10 countries from other continents. The conference was a platform for delegates and experts from African countries and countries of other continents to discuss issues including data and research, capacity building, prosperity through the development of economic enterprises centred on waste management, education and awareness and the role of the consumer, government, industry and municipalities.
The focus was on solid waste in general and plastic pollution in particular. Delegates were invited to ask and answer the following questions regarding waste, “where is Africa now, where should Africa be in the future and how do we get there?” It was agreed that top priorities are:
- education, capacity building and skills development
- the need for measurable data to set baselines upon which strategies could be developed and against which progress towards goals could be monitored
- the need to harness the circular economy, particularly providing economic incentive schemes and economic enterprises in poorer regions of Africa
- networking and collaboration within countries and across borders.
The need for skills transfer to Africa was recognized, but it was agreed that solutions from elsewhere would need to cater to African circumstances and cultures. A valuable outcome of the workshops was the recognition that in Africa, the pollution issues were related more to improving human health, socio-economic circumstances, providing employment and better living conditions than simply promoting environmental heath and saving lives of marine animals. Delegates also contributed and collaborated on the structure of the African Marine Waste Network and “Strategy for Marine Waste: Guide to Action for Africa”.
Watch the Video
Sam has over 25 years’ experience as an international entrepreneur and business manager and held an Executive Manager position for 10 years. He is now the CEO of Regeneration Environmental Services Ltd. Which manufactures high quality building materials from recycled plastics. He is also a member of The FlipiFlop Expedition – a campaign seeking to raise awareness on marine pollution by sailing a traditional dhow made entirely from recycled plastic from Kenya to South Africa in 2018.
Rajput is founder and CEO of TOMA-Now, value chain specialists that focus on developing the green economy. She is passionate about developing economic models for sustainability and transforming the way we do business by creating practical and comprehensive solutions with long-term benefit. She has a career spanning over a decade in the automotive, chemical and construction industries around the world and her background includes technical, management systems, strategy and sustainability.
Conference Photos
Speaker Presentations
Day 1
Day 2
- Approach to Initiating Up-Cycling Economies
- Britta Denise Hardesty and Chris Wilcox
- Digital Conservation Scientists Portal to Connecting with the Public
- Dr Deborah Robertson-Andersson
- Fauna and Flaura International
- Henry Roman
- Jenna Jambeck
- Julius Francis & Dixon Waruinge
- Malindi Kenya
- Marietta Hopley
- Marine Litter & Waste in Abidjan Convention Area
- Mary Philips
- Ms YAHYAOUI Manel
- Rick-Ernest Bonnier
- Safri Burhanuddin
- The Influence of Ocean Garbage on Our Four Legs the Coelacanth
- The International Coastal Cleanup on the Cape Beaches
Day 3
- Adel Alkarrani
- AFRICAN MARINE WASTE STRATEGY CE EMPLOYMENT AND SMME SUPPORT
- AM Melato
- Annabe Pretorius
- Chandru Wadhwani
- Charles Muller
- Chris Whyte
- Jaisheila Rajput
- Janine Basson
- Karl Foerster
- Mandlakazi Skefile
- Mark Gerrard
- Maya Jacob John, Asanda Mtibe, Darrel Naidu & Mpho Lefatle
- Neville Emslie and Reuven Sharon
- Oscar Baruffa
- Peter Myles
- Polyco
- Polystyrene recycling in South Africa
- Sibeko Motshabi
- Steve Cohen
- Steve Trott
- Sudhakar Muniyasamy
- The South African Plastics Federation and its actions to combat to reduce plastics
- Two Oceans Aquarium Rethink the Bag
- Youth in Recycling
Day 4
Documents
Workshop Outcomes Report – The African Marine Waste Conference 2017
