The African Energy Chamber, an advocacy group for the continent’s oil and gas companies, called on African nations to oppose global efforts to cut the production of single-use plastics.
Negotiators in Switzerland are meeting in a bid to reach an agreement to reduce global single-use plastics production levels.
The South Africa-based energy chamber said such an agreement “would devastate the petrochemical industry in Africa” if implemented. Angola, Gabon, Ghana, and Senegal — where new oil and gas projects are being developed — would be most affected by the mandate, the AEC said.
It called on their governments to “prioritize their energy and industrial needs over external environmental agendas that do not align with Africa’s developmental priorities.” Nigeria, Africa’s top oil producer, banned the use of single-use plastics in government facilities a year ago.