The National Assembly is on Wednesday expected to adopt a report of Departmental Committee on Environment, Forestry and Mining on the ratification of the Bamako Convention.
Committee chair David Gikaria will ask the House to approve the agreement on the ban of the importation into Africa and control of transboundary movement of hazardous waste within the continent.
The purpose of the Convention prohibits the import of all hazardous and radioactive wastes into the African continent for any reason.
It also seeks to minimise and control transboundary movements of hazardous wastes within the continent.
The Convention further bans ocean and inland water dumping or incineration of hazardous wastes and ensures that disposal of wastes is conducted in an “environmentally sound manner".
The convention came into force in 1998. It was a response to Article 11 of the Basel Convention which encourages parties to enter into bilateral, multilateral and regional agreements on hazardous waste to help achieve the objectives of the convention.
The impetus for the Bamako Convention arose also from the failure of the Basel Convention to prohibit the trade of hazardous waste to less developed countries.
It also came about after the realisation that many developed nations were exporting toxic wastes to Africa (Koko case in Nigeria, Probo Koala case in Ivory Coast).
It was negotiated by 12 nations of the African Union (former Organization of African Unity) at Bamako, Mali in January 1991.
To date, it has 29 Signatories and 25 Parties
