The official, quoted by Egypt Today newspaper, stressed that 19 of the world’s 50 largest landfill sites are in sub-Saharan Africa, a situation that is affecting the ecosystem.
The aim of the Egyptian proposal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from such waste and the impact of waste pollution on human health, biodiversity and food systems, he stressed.
Fouad stressed that by 2050, the continent will have an estimated population of 2,500 million people, more than double what it is today.
Therefore, by that date, the total waste generation in the region will increase from 1.6 billion tons to four billion tons, according to studies, he warned.
Various estimates suggest that short-lived climate pollutants such as methane, produced when organic waste decomposes, account for about 20 percent of global emissions.
The minister expressed that the financing and implementation of the project in Africa faced many limitations.
In a recent interview with Al Ahram newspaper, Fouad recalled that this continent emits less than four percent of all polluting gases, but it is one of the regions most affected by climate change.
Earlier this year, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi said that colonialism was the main cause of the area’s social and economic backwardness and called on Western powers to help develop the continent.
“Africa has always been left behind for historical reasons (…) and so it is not reasonable to continue paying the price,” said the President at the opening of the Egypt International Petroleum Conference and Exhibition.
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