The Pan-African Manufacturers Association (PAMA) has urged African governments to rethink sweeping bans on single-use plastics (SUPs), warning that such policies could jeopardize local industries and derail the continent’s fragile manufacturing base.
In a position paper titled “Africa’s Race to Plastic Ban: An Environmental Necessity or Threat to Local Manufacturing?”, PAMA acknowledged the environmental motivations behind SUP bans but cautioned that rapid and uncoordinated rollouts could result in factory closures, job losses, and capital flight especially among small and medium-sized manufacturers.
“While we understand the environmental concerns driving these policies, the pace and scope of bans are putting African manufacturers at risk,” the statement read.
Citing Kenya’s 2017 plastic bag ban and Rwanda’s earlier restrictions as cautionary examples, the group noted that dozens of businesses in those countries were shuttered overnight, with no compensation or retraining support for affected workers. Biodegradable alternatives, it said, remain unaffordable for most African SMEs.
The statement comes amid growing momentum for plastic regulation across Africa. In Nigeria, the Federal Government has introduced a phased ban on SUPs in public offices, while Lagos State outlawed Styrofoam and certain plastics in 2024, with enforcement set to escalate in 2025.
PAMA warned that unclear transition timelines, a lack of infrastructure, and regulatory unpredictability are creating uncertainty for manufacturers particularly in the packaging and food-processing sectors.
“The ban on SUPs, without viable, affordable alternatives, has created uncertainty across manufacturing value chains,” the group stated. “This could result in factory closures, job losses, and capital flight.”
Rather than sweeping prohibitions, PAMA called for a “balanced, industry-sensitive approach” to plastic regulation. Key recommendations include:
- Investing in recycling infrastructure
- Incentivising biodegradable alternatives
- Harmonising policies across borders to enable scale and reduce trade friction
“Africa must treat plastic waste not just as an environmental hazard but as a resource that can fuel new industries, jobs, and income,” the statement continued.
PAMA highlighted local innovations like WeCyclers in Nigeria and EcoPost in Kenya as proof that recycling can combine environmental protection with economic opportunity.
“Recycling is not just environmentalism,” the group added. “It is industrial policy, job creation, and regional integration rolled into one.”
The association also urged the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to facilitate regulatory harmonisation and develop a digital platform to connect recyclers, manufacturers, and collectors.
Led by interim President Mansur Ahmed and interim Co-Secretary Segun Ajayi-Kadir, PAMA stressed that environmental goals and industrial development can go hand in hand with the right policy mix.
“Environmental protection and industrial growth are not mutually exclusive,” the group stated. “Africa can lead a green industrial revolution, but only with pragmatic, inclusive policymaking.”
PAMA expressed its readiness to work with governments, industry stakeholders, and environmental groups to ensure that Africa’s push for sustainability strengthens, rather than weakens, its economic foundations.
