Administrator Regan to highlight climate, equity, and youth leadership in visits to Mozambique and Ghana

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Administrator Regan to highlight climate, equity, and youth leadership in visits to Mozambique and Ghana

7:00 CAT | 23 Jan 2024

FILE - Then-nominee for EPA Administrator, Michael Regan, speaks at the Queen theater on Dec. 19, 2020, in Wilmington, DE. President-elect Joe Biden announced his climate and energy team that will advance an ambitious agenda to address the issues of climate change. [File photo: Joshua Roberts/Getty ]

This weekend, EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan will travel to Mozambique and Ghana to build partnerships and share solutions on a range of environmental priorities, including the development of clean energy, protecting clean air, encouraging responsible mining of critical minerals, and recycling of materials from plastics and electronic waste. Administrator Regan’s mission to Africa responds to President Biden’s call to action at the 2022 U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit to expand substantive and meaningful partnerships with African countries, institutions, and people across the continent.

“I am thrilled to be representing the Biden-Harris Administration on this mission to Africa, to further the longstanding and enduring relationship between the United States and this thriving continent,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “Mozambique and Ghana are important partners in our collective work to ensure that economic development and environmental protection go hand-in-hand. We all have a stake in developing clean energy, protecting vital natural resources, and ensuring there’s equal access to clean air and clean water.”

While in Africa, Administrator Regan will also meet with youth leaders in both countries to learn about their efforts to confront global challenges of climate change and environmental justice. In Ghana, Administrator Regan will be joined by Derrick Johnson, President and CEO of the NAACP.

“The NAACP applauds the administration for taking the necessary steps to advance climate justice on a global scale,” said Derrick Johnson, President and CEO of the NAACP. “We have long advocated for the centering of Black voices in all conversations about climate, as our diaspora stands to be most impacted by the increasingly extreme effects of the climate disaster the world is facing. The NAACP looks forward to supporting the cultivation of these crucial partnerships and advancing the priorities of Black and frontline communities in the United States and abroad.”

Highlights of key events as well as expected announcements during the trip include:

January 22-24 in Mozambique

Administrator Regan will join Peter Vrooman, U.S. Ambassador to Mozambique, for the inauguration of a new air quality monitor at the U.S. Embassy in Maputo.

EPA will engage with Mozambican government officials to share updates on the use of its AERMOD Air Modeling to identify pollution challenges and ways to address them.

EPA will be providing technical assistance and guidance to help Mozambique government and civil society more meaningfully engage in public processes around responsible mining operations.

EPA experts will partner with counterparts from the US Geological Society to host a webinar with a community that is struggling with the impacts of Coastal Erosion.

January 25-29 in Ghana

Administrator Regan and Dr. Kwaku Afriyie, Minister of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation will participate in an event in Accra and release a joint statement memorializing efforts around climate change and tackling other challenges, such as cleaner household energy use, plastics pollution, and vehicle and fuel emissions.

Administrator Regan and President Johnson will tour the home of Dr. W.E.B Du Bois, as well as tour Cape Coast Castle. The leaders will lay wreaths at both sites.

EPA will support expanded Cookstoves Collaboration by supporting a conference for lab and field research on cookstoves, as well as provide technical assistance to the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Cookstove Lab.

EPA will help build capacity for E-Waste management by featuring Ghana at an upcoming International E-Waste Management Network (IEMN) Africa Regional E-Waste Webinar and by providing support for an e-waste technical expert from the Government of Ghana to participate in the annual IEMN meeting.

EPA, in partnership with the Peace Corps, will develop a twinning program between schools in America and Ghana to foster cultural and environmental exchanges of information.

Ahead of the trip, EPA is also announcing a series of deliverables to support and advance key environmental efforts across the continent:

Urban Air Quality Partnership: Building on EPA’s longstanding relationship with the State Department in addressing air quality around the world, this work will be aimed at helping multiple African cities strengthen their capacity to manage air quality effectively.

ARC-X Transfer: EPA will transfer this climate adaptation software to a ready partner, either in Sierra Leone or Ghana, which will help them better adapt to impacts due to climate change. This database provides specific climate solutions and success stories from cities that have similar environmental challenges.

Clean Cookstoves: Based on its engagement with EPA, the Clean Cooking Alliance is funding an expert to work within the Sierra Leonian government on cookstoves issues and is helping Sierra Leone develop a clean cooking and energy strategy.

Trash Free Waters: This is an EPA-developed international guide to reduce the volume of trash entering waterways both domestically and internationally. This program has been successfully implemented in parts of Asia and South America and with this video series, EPA is planning to expand its adoption in Africa.

Peace Corps MOU: EPA has signed an MOU with the Peace Corps focusing on community assistance, capacity building, and environmental health. EPA may provide technical support in areas of expertise including, but not limited to, cookstoves, wastewater management, and solid waste management.

Photos, videos, and readouts from the Administrator’s activities and events will be available through his Twitter and Instagram accounts during and following the trip.

About EPA

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is a U.S. federal government agency that was created in 1970 to protect human health and the environment. EPA’s nearly 15,000 environmental professionals fight the climate crisis, safeguard America’s air and water, regulate chemicals and pesticides, respond to chemical emergencies, enforce U.S. environmental laws, and lead innovative research. Because pollution transcends international boundaries, EPA’s Office of International and Tribal Affairs works with international organizations and countries to address shared environmental challenges.

Source: Us Embassy in Mozambique / Media Release