This blog post was developed summarising the intervention of Côte d’Ivoire on the Global Green Growth Knowledge Partnership (GGKP) roundtable Inside the POPs Inventory: Lessons, Challenges and Successes from the Global NIP Update held on 14 April 2025.
Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) pose a serious threat to environmental and public health, and it is essential to develop POPs inventory to identify sources, guide policy actions and shape National Implementation Plans (NIPs). Establishing and maintaining a robust inventory of POPs have been a crucial issue not only for Côte d’Ivoire but for the entire French-speaking African sub-region to fulfil national commitments under the Stockholm Convention.
Despite considerable efforts, challenges persist that hinder the collection and updating of the necessary data. These obstacles, which range from difficulties in accessing information to the complexities of collaborating with the private sector, highlight the need for a systematic approach. By identifying and adopting best practices, Côte d’Ivoire aims to significantly improve both external and internal collaboration, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of inventory preparation and ensuring more robust management of POPs.
Timeline of POPs inventory development in Côte d’Ivoire
Côte d’Ivoire has developed three national POPs inventories over the years: the first in 2006, followed by an update in 2016, and the most recent inventory conducted from 2022. These efforts have built a foundation for POPs management, but also revealed persistent issues with data availability, institutional coordination and the continuity of expertise across cycles. Each inventory cycle has contributed important lessons, while also underlining the need for sustained capacity and a more standardised, collaborative approach.
Systemic challenges in POPs inventory work
One of the most critical barriers to effective inventory development in Côte d’Ivoire is access to accurate and complete data. Quantitative information on POPs production, import, export, stockpiles and disposal is often unavailable or fragmented across institutions like the Pesticide Committee, Waste Notification Committee, Centre Ivoirien Antipollution (CIAPOL) and customs authorities, with no centralised data management system. Private sector engagement is especially limited, as companies frequently cite confidentiality or simply refuse access, stalling data collection efforts led by national committees and ministries.
Inventory work requires multi-sectoral cooperation. Côte d’Ivoire set up an inter-ministerial committee consisting of key actors include the Ministries of Industry, Health, Agriculture, Fisheries, Justice, Environment, Research, Municipalities, Customs, Budget and Finance, along with NGOs. Bringing all these stakeholders into a coordinated system is a significant task. Each member was supposed to bring back and consolidate the quantities and stocks of POPs in their sector, but this is not always the case. The absence of a centralised or institutionalised coordination framework often results in duplication, delays, or data gaps.
Ensuring consistency and comparability of data across inventory cycles is another persistent issue. Awareness raising of the level of POPs is essential and protects human health and the environment. The committee is therefore continuing its efforts to ensure that POPs inventory is kept updated as required by the Stockholm Convention. Support from national experts, steering committee, technical committee and Green Growth Knowledge Partnership (GGKP) has helped to retain momentum.
POP-specific inventory challenges
Each POP also presents its own inventory challenges. For polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), lack of data on the age and origin of imported second-hand electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) as well as weak application of the administrative declaration procedure for end-of-life vehicle complicates estimation. For per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), the inventory is based on estimated net consumption derived from manufacturing, import, and export data. However, the lack of completeness and accuracy in these records introduces substantial uncertainty.
Côte d’Ivoire’s previous polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) inventories, developed in 2006 and 2016, were unable to capture the entire national territory or all industrial sectors, particularly the mining sector. The 2023 update still faced difficulties in obtaining data from private companies due to confidentiality and mistrust. Administrative delays further slowed the process. For POPs pesticides, the major issues are combating cross-border fraud and the absence of adequate infrastructure to store confiscated pesticide stockpiles. When it comes to unintentional POPs (uPOPs), Côte d’Ivoire relies on standardised emission factors. However, the collection of activity rate data for industrial processes is still challenging.
Best practices in POPs inventory development
Despite the obstacles, Côte d’Ivoire has developed and institutionalised a number of best practices. Strengthening national capacities in data collection and analysis, stakeholder awareness and effective coordination mechanisms for the environmentally sound management of POPs has led to the identification of some best practices in the development and updating of POPs inventories under the Stockholm Convention.
First, all inventory processes was carried out following international guidelines developed under the Stockholm Convention, including the UNEP Toolkit for Identification and Quantification of Releases of Dioxins, Furans and other Unintentional POPs (2013), directives and guidance on PBDEs, PFAS, PCBs and waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), as well as recommendations on vehicle waste (VFV).
The identification and involvement of possible stakeholders are also crucial to access relevant information and ensure ownership of the results. Technical and steering committees, operational technical unit, national experts, distributors and retailers are brought into the process.
Methodologically, using multiple data collection methods combining desk reviews, interviews, literature reviews and surveys allows for triangulation of information and addresses potential gaps in single data sources. To ensure consistency and monitoring of progress, it is important to clearly define the base year for the inventory. It helps to contextualise the data collected and facilitate future comparisons.
The purpose of these inventories is to provide a basis for updating the NIP. The integration of inventory results into the national strategic framework ensures that data collection efforts are translated into concrete actions for the management of POPs. The two-tiered approach (initial assessment and preliminary inventory) also helps to identify areas that require further investigation. This prioritisation of efforts contributes to a more efficient use of limited resources.
Finally, collaboration with national regulatory bodies such as Customs, National Electricity Regulator (ANARE), Société Ivoirienne de Contrôle Technique Automobiles et Industriels (SICTA) and CIAPOL ensures access to trade data of chemical substances and industrial sector insights.
“Our collaboration with Customs and other national bodies is very important. You cannot have access to data for polluting equipment without going through customs authorities.”
Regional collaboration through CRCBS-AF
Côte d’Ivoire’s participation in CRCBS-AF, the regional Basel and Stockholm Convention centre for Francophone Africa, has significantly enhanced national capacity. The country serves on the CRCBS-AF Steering Committee, alongside Benin, Senegal, and Djibouti, and collaborates with Burundi, Cameroon, Madagascar, and Togo through a dedicated WhatsApp group for Stockholm Convention Focal Points. This real-time communication and knowledge exchange platform, along with webinars and regional trainings, has played an important role in harmonising approaches and building collective solutions to inventory challenges.
Remaining gaps and next steps
Despite the progress, significant gaps remain. Most notably, Côte d’Ivoire still lacks the laboratory infrastructure and trained personnel to perform in-depth chemical analysis to verify the presence and concentration of POPs in materials or the environment. Much of the inventory work still relies on indirect methods, such as document analysis and interviews. The CIAPOL laboratory and the Laboratory of Toxicology and Agro-Industrial Hygiene (LTHAI) are among the few institutions with limited testing capacity. Expanding and equipping these facilities will be essential to improving the scientific credibility of future inventories.
Côte d’Ivoire’s efforts demonstrate that effective POPs inventory development is possible even under constrained conditions—when rooted in strong institutional coordination, supported by regional cooperation, and guided by international frameworks. Its experience through the 2006, 2016 and 2023 inventories reflects a clear evolution in approach, capacity and ambition.
Sustained investment in institutional capacity, stakeholder engagement and technical infrastructure will be critical for the further development of POPs inventory in Côte d’Ivoire. With continued national leadership and international support, Côte d’Ivoire is on its way to establishing a secure, science-based system for POPs management that protects its people, ecosystems and future generations.
This blog post was developed drawing on insights from the Global Green Growth Knowledge Partnership (GGKP) roundtable Inside the POPs Inventory: Lessons, Challenges and Successes from the Global NIP Update held on 14 April 2025. As part of the Global NIP Update project (GEF ID 10785), funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and led by UNEP, this roundtable brought together nine countries currently engaged in reviewing and updating their National Implementation Plans (NIPs) under the Stockholm Convention to foster peer learning on the development of POPs inventories.
To learn more about the Global NIP Update project, visit Global NIP Update | Green Policy Platform
For a deeper dive into the GGKP roundtable on POPs inventory, you can access the full recordings and materials here: Inside the POPs Inventory: Lessons, Challenges and Successes from the Global NIP Update
