By Dollita Okine
According to data submitted to the Basel Convention, Ghana estimated the municipal solid waste generation across the 16 regions at over 7 million tons in 2024.
This is an enormous volume that, if piled together, would match the weight of over 1.4 million elephants.
Accra alone produces about 2,800 metric tons of solid waste according to the International Growth Center (ICG), an economic research centre that collaborates with government departments, development institutions, and the local private sector on research to support evidence-based policymaking and sustainable growth.
More than half of this waste—53.91%—is organic matter, comprising food scraps, yard waste, and other biodegradable materials, while plastics make up 16.15% and paper accounts for 8.75%, according to a review into Municipal Solid Waste Generation Trend and Bioenergy Recovery Potential by a team of researchers who study Conversion and Utilization of Solid Wastes and Biomass into Fuels including Green Hydrogen.
Instead of letting this waste pile up in landfills, a review of an assessment of Ghana’s Municipal Solid Waste for Valorization by a team of researchers who explore Waste Management and Disposal suggested that more than 63% of it could be converted into energy through anaerobic digestion, a natural process where tiny bacteria break down waste in a space without oxygen, producing biogas.
Biogas is a renewable energy source made from organic waste, such as food scraps and agricultural waste.
The process of turning biogas into electricity and minimizing waste. Photo credit: Preprints.Org
It has the potential to improve Ghana’s electricity supply, reduce reliance on fossil fuels, and help manage waste more effectively. Additionally, it can boost agriculture, and create jobs.
Yet, despite its potential, Ghana’s investment in renewable energy remains low.
Ghana is still struggling with electricity shortages. Power outages , commonly called “Dumsor,” are frequent, forcing many homes and businesses that can afford it to rely on diesel-powered generators.
According to Ghana’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), both diesel-powered generation and poor waste management are major contributors to environmental pollution.
On the other hand, a 2014 study by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) found that Ghana’s renewable energy sector is well-positioned for growth.
The study identified biogas plants as a promising solution for both energy production and waste management.
These facilities can help farmers and factories turn waste into electricity, create fertilizer from organic waste, and even provide extra energy for homes and businesses.
Although progress has been slow, Ghana has taken some steps toward adopting sustainable energy, aligning itself with global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the country’s National Adaptation Plan (NAP) focused on clean energy, waste management, and climate action.
The Renewable Energy Act, 2011 (Act 832), passed in 2011, is a law that supports the use of clean energy sources like biogas, solar, and wind power in Ghana.
This Act aims to increase the proportion of renewable energy in the national energy mix and ensures efficient and environmentally sustainable production of heat and power.
Nevertheless, policies need to be implemented to be effective.
Enoch Kofi Boadi, CEO and founder of DasBiogas, explained in an online interview (Google Meet) that the best way to bring this act to life is to make a policy supporting it.
He said, “I’m looking at the case where there will be a policy for every institution, every household to deal with their organic waste. So if there is a policy that you cannot take your organic waste to the landfill, you must add it to the general municipal waste.”
When asked about the feasibility of having a biogas plant that can generate enough electricity for all of Ghana, Mr. Boadi said he would not recommend it.
He rather suggested a decentralized system, saying, “Because of the way we manage our waste and the way we generate the waste and treat it, if you don’t come with that strategy and you want to have one centralized place, it will be a challenge.
“We can have a community-based per-gas plant or municipality per-gas plant where the gas can be used to generate electricity for maybe a portion of the community or for some community.”
Mr. Boadi added that the only challenge he foresaw was generating enough waste to supply enough electricity to power a community.
Thus, he suggested using biogas for heat generation, another sustainable solution, in lieu of Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG).
DasBiogas Portable food waste plant for heat distribution. Photo credit: EraEnvironment
In an interview at his office, The Director of the Waste Management Department at the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) Mr. Solomon Noi, supported Mr. Boadi’s position, explaining that generating biogas was a chemical process.
He also mentioned that the facility for waste to electrical energy would still have to be paid for, which may even cost more than what Ghanaians may pay for hydro electricity from the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
Mr. Noi said, “If you are solving a sanitation problem and you want to use it for the generation of electricity. Tariffs will be set out by the Energy Commission. The Energy Commission does not give you any preferential treatment. So if you sell it at the prevailing tariff rates, you are not making any gains. Also the quantities there will warrant that we need sophisticated infrastructure, which we are not ready for.”
He however, emphasized the AMA’s commitment to solving the waste management issue by using biogas to generate gas for cooking which he termed as a mitigation and adaptation process.
The Engineer noted, “rather than allowing our citizens to be cutting down trees to use as firewood or charcoal, then the same food waste is channeled into digestion plants to generate the gas for them to use to support their domestic cooking.”
He explained that instead of simply dumping waste in landfills, the Assembly plans to process and reuse it in a way that reduces waste and benefits the environment.
Mr. Noi estimated that building a waste-burning plant to help manage garbage and produce energy could cost between $600 to $800 million.
The plant can support biogas production by separating organic waste for anaerobic digestion, providing heat to optimize biogas processes, and managing non-digestible waste through combustion.
He also spoke of the AMA’s plans to implement the two bin system where dry waste is separated from wet waste to make waste processing easier.
Beyond the Assembly’s efforts, Mr. Noi says it comes down to the people holding the political power to give a nod to undertake such projects and the citizens.
He said, “The only challenge I see here is the political one. Just to talk to the powers that be. It will not take us anything to do this part [creating a waste-burning plant ]. You have to get the buy-in of the government. We are civil servants. We have the knowledge. We can only advise. So it will take a big political will to do this.”
Concerning the citizens, he remarked, “We just need behavioural change, because the people are used to co- mingling their waste. We are about to tell them to separate their ways. It will be a burden for them since they were not trained like that. So, all we need is their cooperation to see it as a form of punishment from the beginning. But in the future, generations after them will come and benefit and live in a better place. But it must start from somewhere.”
The plans to harness biogas as evidenced in this story, are promising and practical, yet, their implementation remains uncertain.
The Ministry of Energy and Green Transition which is responsible for implementing these policies, is yet to respond to a request for an interview.
If Ghana prioritizes biogas, it can reduce waste, generate electricity, and cut pollution. But this change starts with policy, investment, and citizen cooperation. Will Ghana seize this opportunity or let its waste crisis continue to pile up?
Please Note: [Interviews were edited for clarity]
