EPA concludes stakeholders’ workshop

EPA Deputy Executive Director Urias Goll

The National Ozone Unit of the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) of Liberia has ended a one day stakeholders’ workshop on the Initiation of a Nationwide Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS) Alternatives Survey at the Corina Hotel in Monrovia.

Speaking at the opening of the workshop, EPA Deputy Executive Director (DED) Urias Goll said Liberia, through the Environment Protection Agency, has significantly contributed to the global success of the Vienna Convention on the protection of the Ozone Layer.

The Vienna Convention, up to date, is considered the most successful environmental agreement in the world. Mr. Goll told the participants, in consideration of the success, collective actions were still needed to find a lasting solution to global environmental problems ahead of us.

“it is in this regard that we have come here today to initiate another phase of the Ozone project , which is to conduct a survey of Ozone Depleting Substances(ODS) alternatives at the national level,” he noted. The basic concept of the ODS Alternatives Survey is to assist developing countries like Liberia, better understand their consumption trends for non-ODS alternatives and their distribution by sector and sub-sector. It is also meant to create an inventories on ODS Alternatives which will provide Liberia with an overview of its national market where ODS Alternatives have been and will be phased in, while taking into consideration existing technologies. To estimate the amount of each ODS alternative currently used in the country, identify alternatives that could be potentially used in the future as replacement and forecast the amount of each of the ODS alternatives currently used and potentially to be used in the country.

Mr. Goll called on the participants to accord the data collectors their cooperation and give them the needed information in the next few months to come if Liberia is to succeed in the conduct of the national survey.

Earlier, the National Focal Person of the Ozone Unit at the EPA, Mr. Sete F. Marshall, said the success of the project over the years can be attributed to cooperation, participation and involvement of all relevant stakeholders concerned with the project.

Mr. Marshall noted that the pending survey is an opportunity for Liberia to move forward in cataloging the necessary information regarding ODS and ODS Alternatives for the good of its citizenry. The survey will end in September of this year and its results will validated by stakeholders before submission.

Participants were drawn from the private sector and relevant line ministries and agencies, to include the refrigeration union of Liberia, importers, Liberia Chambers of Commerce, Monrovia Vocational Training Center, Liberia Revenue Authority, Liberia Agricultural Company, LIPFOCO among others.