African Ozone Officers Meet to Discuss HCFC Phase-out and Kigali Amendment
Fifty National Ozone Officers from the English-speaking and French-speaking African Network countries gathered in Abidjan from 20-24 March 2017 to review and address challenges related to the phase-out of HCFCs and their national Montreal Protocol activities as well as to discuss strategic frameworks and plans of action for hydrofluorocarbons (HFC) phase-down.
With the recent adoption of the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol which commits Parties to phase down the consumption and production of HFCs, meeting participants included, regional and international experts from the Secretariat of the Multilateral Fund, the Ozone Secretariat, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), United Nations Environment (UNEP), and external partners from Ghana Energy Commission, International Energy Agency (IEA), International Copper Association (ICA), and refrigeration and air-conditioning associations.
The meeting was officially opened by H. E. Madame Anne Désirée Ouloto, Ministère de la Salubrité, de l’Environnement et du Développement Durable, République de Côte d’Ivoire, who urged the participants to ratify the Kigali Amendment by the end of 2017.
Ms. Juliette Biao Koudenoukpo, Director and Regional Representative, Africa Office, UN Environment encouraged the participants to continue with their efforts to meet their countries’ obligations under the Montreal Protocol.
The countries reviewed the status of implementation of national surveys for ozone depleting substances (ODS) alternatives, and committed to specific dates for submission of their final reports. The meeting discussed how African network countries will meet their 2020 control measures for HCFCs while addressing technological challenges related to different sectors. The meeting demonstrated the Multilateral Fund’s online Country Programme data reporting platform, discussed climate co-benefits of the ODS phase-out, energy efficient issues and how UN Environment and the countries can provide capacity building, support and guidance to RAC technicians.
Mr. Kofi Agyarko, Head, Energy Commission, Ghana, presented the first African Refrigerator Market Transformation programme, where 10,000 used and energy-inefficient refrigerating appliances were exchanged for the same number of new and more efficient ones, resulting in average consumer energy savings of 850kWh and US$ 120/year. He explained the importance of good cooperation between the Energy Commission and Ghana National Ozone Unit which contributed to attaining this historic achievement.
The meeting, organised by UN Environment OzonAction in collaboration with the Government of Côte d’Ivoire, is part of the Regional Network service that OzonAction Compliance Assistance Programme (CAP) provides to Article 5 (developing) countries as part of its role as an Implementing Agency of the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol.