GAEC hosts African scientists to harmonise microplastics monitoring protocols - Adomonline.com

GAEC hosts African scientists to harmonise microplastics monitoring protocols focused on standardising how coastal microplastics are measured using nuclear and isotopic techniques. A five-day regional meeting opened on Monday, July 6, 2026, in Accra and runs through Friday, July 10, hosted by the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) under the IAEA Regional Technical Cooperation Project RAF7022. Scientists from 21 African countries will align approaches for sampling and analysing particles sized 20 to 300 micrometres, aiming to produce comparable data for evidence-based policy. The effort is framed by UNDP figures of over 430 million metric tonnes of plastic produced globally each year and UNEP estimates of about 11 million tonnes entering aquatic ecosystems annually. GAEC Director-General Prof. Samuel Boakye Dampare linked the initiative to strengthened lab infrastructure, modern analytical equipment, and IAEA-coordinated research.