Côte d'Ivoire / Customs officers and trade inspectors trained to combat ozone-depleting substances

On Tuesday May 27 and Wednesday May 28, 2025, customs officers and trade and industry inspectors from San Pedro's regional directorates benefited from capacity building on the identification and control of Ozone Depleting Substances (ODS), in order to effectively combat their trafficking and use.

Organized by the Ministry of the Environment, Sustainable Development and Ecological Transition, through the National Ozone Office, in collaboration with theUnited Nations Environment Organization (UN-Environment), this workshop is part of the plan to manage and eliminate Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), substances which are part of the ODS. These substances are still imported and used illegally, notably in the air conditioning and refrigeration sectors, and in various equipment.

The training was given by the interim national coordinator of the Ozone Côte d'Ivoire project, Konan Odile Haphouet épouse Kouassi, accompanied by experts Kouamé Kouadio Arounan, Koffi Kouacou and Kouadio Kouassi Daniel.

Participants were briefed on the legal texts governing their missions, in particular the new regulatory requirements of the Montréal and Côte d'Ivoire's SAO control requirements, as well as the January 2006 regulations of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU).

They were also briefed on alternatives to HCFCs, their characteristics, ODS identification methods, alternative refrigerants and products containing them. The session concluded with practical group work on the use of a refrigerant identifier to control gas cylinders used in air conditioning and refrigeration.

The Regional Director for the Environment, Colonel Tissé Tokpa, and his counterpart for Trade and Industry, Akangni Amandin N'Guessan, urged participants to capitalize on the training.

Refrigeration technicians will also benefit from training in new refrigeration and air-conditioning technologies on Friday and Saturday.

The national strategy for phasing out ozone-depleting substances, including the national HCFC management and elimination plan, is part of the implementation of the EU's Ozone Layer Protection Directive.is part of the implementation of international treaties ratified by Côte d'Ivoire for over 30 years, notably the Montreal Protocol.

The country's ambition is to achieve total elimination of consumption of these substances, with a target of 100% reduction of HCFCs by January 1, 2030. Côte d'Ivoire has already eliminated chlorofluorocarbons (CFC-12), formerly used in refrigeration, replacing them with other gases.

For a quarter of a century, humanity has been faced with the challenge of the depletion of the ozone layer, which protects life on earth from the harmful ultraviolet rays emitted by the sun. Its degradation leads to diseases such as cataracts and skin cancers.

Source: www.aip.ci/