EPA takes Styrofoam ban campaign to Northern Ghana ahead of January 2027 deadline

The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) is taking its campaign on the coming ban on polystyrene foam products, widely known as Styrofoam, to the five regions of Northern Ghana this week, ahead of the ban taking effect on 1 January 2027.

The week-long northern leg runs from Monday, 26 October to Sunday, 1 November 2026 and covers the Northern, Savannah, North East, Upper East and Upper West regions, according to reports by Citi Newsroom and 3News.

Mini-durbars are planned in communities including Bolgatanga, Nalerigu, Damongo and Wa, with public awareness floats in the regional capitals, media engagements and stakeholder consultations.

The main northern event is scheduled for Tamale on Thursday, 29 October. It will feature an environmental quiz among five senior high schools in the metropolis: Ghana SHS, St. Charles Minor Seminary, Tamale Islamic Science SHS, Kalpohin SHS and Tamale SHS. The University for Development Studies (UDS) and Bagabaga College of Education will also debate the health, environmental and economic case for the ban, and both institutions are expected to display alternative products they have developed. The event is to be broadcast live on major television channels.

EPA Chief Executive Officer Professor Nana Ama Browne Klutse, who is leading the delegation, said the authority is ready to enforce the ban, which follows a directive from President John Dramani Mahama. She said consumers, manufacturers and distributors were being given enough notice to adjust, and that there would be “no excuses by January 2027.”

The northern campaign is the last of three zonal legs. The EPA held the southern-zone campaign in Accra in July and the middle-zone campaign in Kumasi in August.

Neither report set out the penalties for breaching the ban or a full list of the products affected. Traders and food vendors across the North who use foam packs will want clarity on both before the deadline.

Source: Citi Newsroom — https://www.citinewsroom.com/2026/10/epa-intensifies-polystyrene-ban-campaign-in-five-northern-regions/; 3News — https://3news.com/news/epa-takes-styrofoam-ban-campaign-to-five-northern-regions-ahead-of-1-january-2027-deadline