The 20th African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN-20) decided to call upon African member States (that are Parties to the Minamata Convention) to implement the phase out of dental amalgam use for patients under fifteen years, pregnant and breastfeeding women and to submit a national phase out plan or a progress report within the stipulated timeline. Parties to the Minamata Convention should further support the proposed amendments to phase out dental amalgam by 2030 and to end the use of dental amalgam in public programmes at COP6 of the Convention.
The Twentieth Session of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN-20) was held from 14-18 July 2025 in Nairobi, Kenya, under the theme “Four Decades of Environmental Action in Africa: Reflecting on the Past and Imagining the Future.” AMCEN is an opportunity for ministers and experts to discuss and prepare Africa’s common position and engagement in upcoming global environmental fora like the Minamata Convention on Merucry:
The decisions made during these sessions are instrumental in steering the continent toward sustainable development. Each resolution adopted at AMCEN serves as a catalyst for action, driving policy changes, fostering cooperation, and influencing international environmental frameworks. From the implementation of climate action strategies to addressing the issue of plastic pollution and promoting biodiversity conservation, AMCEN’s decisions are key to Africa’s response to the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.
AMCEN’s call for the implementation of measures to protect children from the use of dental amalgam is well justified. In fact, it was the African region that called for this regulation in 2022, and although the amendment has been in force since 28 September 2023, only 7 of 43 African parties to the Convention have taken Action. Since parties that have not yet phased out dental amalgam are now required to submit a plan or progress report by the end of this year, it would be reasonable to link the protection of children directly with a general phase out date.
“Dental Amalgam consists of 50% highly toxic mercury and shouldn’t be placed in the mouth. Nowadays, there are plenty of options for treating tooth decay and amalgam is the worst one, not only for environmental reasons, but for the survival of the tooth itself. More than 60 Countries have already phased out dental amalgam and made the transition to minimally invasive dentistry.” said Dr. Gilbert Kuepouo, head of the Centre Africain pour la Santé Environnementale Cameroun, at the confernce.
“The quantities of mercury released from amalgam use into the environment are considerable. Just the mercury from a single filling can contaminate more than 100,000 litres of drinking water. We must stop using it as soon as possible and should not allow Western companies to foist expensive separator systems for dental clinics on us. They only capture a small part of the mercury used and after all we have no infrastructure to deal with the hazardous waste.”
“The Ministers of the Environment are calling on African Parties to the Convention to support the end of using dental amalgam in public programmes. This is what needs to be approached immediately before Africa becomes an amalgam dumping ground while other regions are banning it.” adds Leslie Adogame, head of the Sustainable Research and Action for Environmental Development think tank Nigeria.
” We must further introduce an import ban, as proposed for adoption at COP6 of the Minamata Convention. If we dont act, we risk that mercury labeled for dental use continues to be diverted to artisanal small scale goldmining.”
Here is the final document:
EN-Decision 20_7 Minimata Convention on Mercury Final Clean 170712pm
Further Information:
Webinar Series supporting the Children’s Amendment in the African Region
