The participants from 25 Sub-Saharan African countries, representing governments, industry and civil society, and from international organizations attending the Regional Conference on the Phasing Out of Leaded Gasoline (Dakar, June 26 – 28, 2001), considering:
- The recommendations and resolutions of WHO, WB and UNEP stating the high priority of lead phaseout worldwide,
- That surveys on blood lead levels in SSA city populations show that in many cases WHO guidelines areexceeded, bringing in particular at risk children’s development and intellectual performance.
- That delays to start using unleaded gasoline are precluding the introduction of vehicles equipped withcatalytic converters and thus the development of urban clean air policies in growing cities of SSA.
- The support expressed by the oil industry and the NGO community in favor of a prompt governmentaction phasing out leaded gasoline.
agree to:
1. Join efforts to accelerate the formulation and implementation of programs to completely phase out leaded gasoline in all SSA countries as soon as possible, latest by 2005.
2. Recommend governments to reduce the lead content in gasoline - currently 0.8 g/l in most SSA countries - to average not more than 0.4 g/l by 2002 and to an average not more than 0.2 g/l by 2003.
3. Encourage countries with independent import facilities to accelerate their respective lead phasing out programs.
4. Harmonize the gasoline norms in all sub-regional markets, in order to foster intra-regional trade and
traffic; and request IPIECA, in collaboration with national and international oil companies andrepresentatives from the automobile industry, to assist in the formulation of a complete set of fuels technical specifications.
5. Complete the sub-regional action plans within the next 12 months framing the respective national clean air programs.
6. Request the oil supply chain operators to improve their production, storage and distribution facilities in accordance with the target lead phase out frame.
7. Request WHO, UNEP, WB and bilateral environmental agencies such as USEPA to support SSA stakeholders in developing the capacity to implement the lead phase out programs within air quality management.
8. Develop an appropriate public information campaign with an active participation of NGOs community.
9. Request the WB and other international donor agencies to give a high priority to lead phase out in economic policy dialogues with the SSA governments and to continue supporting required technical assistance programs and assisting in the financing of viable investments.
10. Request OAU and other regional organizations (ECOWAS, WAEMU, SADCC, CAEMU, etc.) to endorse the phasing out of leaded gasoline in their priority programs and to contribute to the harmonization of standards and technical specifications.
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