Minister-designate for Environment, Science and Technology, Dr. Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, has called on the Environmental Protection Agency to hold firm to the January 1, 2027 deadline banning the production, importation, distribution, sale, and use of polystyrene foam products, widely known as Styrofoam or takeaway packs.
Speaking on Thursday, August 27, 2026, during her vetting before Parliament’s Appointments Committee, Dr. Agyeman-Rawlings stressed that the environmental dangers posed by single-use plastics cannot be ignored.
“I believe that the dangers around the use of polystyrene cannot be glossed over, and it has to be done,” she stated, highlighting recent EPA awareness campaigns in Kumasi as evidence of necessary preparations.
Reflecting on traditional Ghanaian practices, she recalled, “I remember as children, when you wanted to go for Auntie Naa’s rice, you took your own pot to go and buy the rice, and I am not sure at which point putting plastic within plastic became the norm, and I think it comes down to a change in behaviour.”
She emphasized that while behavioral change takes time, “it can be incentivised, or you can put penalties in place. It comes down to how we enforce the ban and the seriousness with which we seek to address this. I stand by the fact that the ban timeline has to be maintained.”
Her nomination to lead the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology represents a major milestone in her political trajectory.
Dr. Agyeman-Rawlings has served as the Member of Parliament for the Klottey Korley Constituency in the Greater Accra Region since January 2017, representing the National Democratic Congress.
As as an experience politician, she brings a high-profile political background to the executive cabinet. Prior to entering politics, she trained as a medical doctor at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and developed expertise in disaster management, conflict resolution, and environmental advocacy, qualifications that directly inform her new ministerial role.
Source: Felix Nyaaba/expressnewsghana.com
