The Inception Workshop for the Global Elimination Program for Polychlorinated Biphenyls (GEP-PCB), held from 27 to 29 January 2026 at the African Development Bank headquarters in Abidjan, marked an important step in supporting African countries to meet their obligations under the Stockholm Convention while strengthening the performance and sustainability of their electricity sectors.
The workshop brought together representatives of African government ministries and utilities along with GEP-PCB partners, strengthening coordination, knowledge-sharing, and stakeholder engagement, and laying a solid foundation for effective implementation and for scaling-up PCB elimination efforts across Africa.
The GEP-PCB is a multi-country initiative targeting the elimination of PCB use in equipment by 2025, and the implementation of environmentally sound management of PCB liquids and PCB-contaminated equipment by 2028.
It leverages investments in transmission and distribution infrastructure to integrate PCB identification, safe handling, equipment replacement, and disposal into routine energy operations. It does this through a standardised approach that simplifies preparation, harmonises procurement, and supports grid modernization at scale.
Its ultimate goal is to eliminate approximately 8,750 tons of PCBs through child projects in six countries, while promoting best available techniques and encouraging the replacement of contaminated equipment with more efficient transformers.
The GEP-PCB is supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and led by the World Bank, in partnership with the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm (BRS) Conventions Secretariat and other implementing agencies, including the African Development Bank, UNDP, and UNEP.
Without robust financing and partnerships to help meet the targets, PCB leaks and cross-contamination will continue, exposing workers and communities to toxic chemicals, increasing cleanup liabilities, and undermining the reliability of electricity systems that depend on aging, contaminated transformers.
Workshop participants agreed to integrate PCB elimination into ongoing and planned transmission and distribution projects to meet the 2025 and 2028 targets. They highlighted urgent capacity and financing gaps, calling for stronger public-private partnerships to accelerate delivery while advancing cross-cutting priorities in gender, health, and the energy transition.
In his keynote speech at the workshop, Rolph Payet, Executive Secretary of the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions, described the program as a decisive step toward eliminating toxic PCBs from national grids. He warned that shrinking donor resources make closer collaboration with investors and utilities essential.Jiang Ru, Manager, Global Environment Department, World Bank Group, said, "Eliminating PCBs is foundational to building the energy systems that countries need. Grid and transformer replacement projects cannot move forward safely or efficiently without proper management of legacy PCBs.
These investments protect workers and communities, strengthen productivity, and improve competitiveness - delivering both economic and development dividends for people."Al-Hamndou Dorsouma, African Development Bank Group Manager for Climate and Green Growth, said: "As the African Development Bank Group, we are very pleased to be associated with the PCB program through our own child project in Uganda. It is an honour to host this important meeting here in Abidjan, on our premises. We highly value the partnership forged under this program, which brings together the GEF, the World Bank, regional multilateral development banks, and UN agencies."
