Photo via Voa News

Sub-Saharan Africa is home to some of the most innovative waste management projects in the world. From transforming wastewater to drinking water; to making roads out of plastic and having plastic as currency, Africa has it all when it comes to seeing waste as an indispensable asset. Although many risks ought to be addressed in managing waste, several African countries have ignited the spark to change the narrative of waste from redundant to resource.

Sub-Saharan Africa is home to some of the most innovative waste management projects in the world. From transforming wastewater to drinking water; to making roads out of plastic and having plastic as currency, Africa has it all when it comes to seeing waste as an indispensable resource. For decades, Africa has also been the dumping site of electronic waste, unwanted clothing and hazardous waste for many Western countries. Through multilateral agreements such as the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), large scale exports such as second hand clothing and electronics are masked as valuable imports to the countries on the receiving end. However, these imports pose risks to the local economies, environment and health and well-being of citizens, dampening local industries and putting the environment and people’s health at risk.

Although much harm is prevalent, the governments and citizens of several African countries have ignited the spark to change the narrative of waste from redundant to resource. This article will highlight a few of the several great initiatives by citizens and state across the continent. 

Namibia: Goreangab Wastewater Treatment Plant

Namibia has one of the lowest sanitation levels in Eastern and Southern Africa, with only 33% of people having access to improved sanitation. The lack of sanitation poses serious health risks to the population where open defecation is also common. The Goreangab Wastewater Treatment Plant seeks to tackle two challenges: scarce water and poor sanitation.

Based in Namibia’s capital city, Windhoek, Goreangab Plant transforms sewage into drinkable water. A first of its kind globally, Goreangab Plant has been running for almost 50 years and has been fundamental to the area’s water supply due to the long dry seasons and desert environment. The plant has been visited by several organizations and government representatives to see how such a plant could be recreated in their countries.

The plant mimics nature by having bacteria digest the human waste. Initially built for the capacity to recycle 27,000 cubic meters of sewage a day it now does around 41,000 cubic meters a day - almost double! It provides drinking water to Windhoek’s 300,000 residents. Water is a very scarce commodity in Namibia, where drought is common. This plant exemplifies the phrase “necessity is the mother of invention,” and truly leads by example in waste innovation. 

Ghana: E-Waste Recycling

The proliferation of technology in addressing day to day challenges has led to a parallel increase in the obsolescence of old technologies. In particular,the need to communicate to a wider network across various digital platforms has led to inventions and innovations. Though this progress can be used to improve human lives in this digital era, it also exacerbates the chances of dealing with digital and electronic waste due to these machines being declared obsolete after an invention or improvement.

The Agbogbloshie dump in Ghana hosts a significant portion of these waste is often sent from the West. According to a report published by the United Nations, approximately 50 million tonnes of electronic and electrical waste (e-waste) are produced each year and that only 20% is formally recycled. The report further states that If nothing is done, the amount of waste will more than double by 2050, to 120 million tonnes annually.

In Ghana, that same e-waste represents a huge opportunity. Harvesting the resources from used electronics produces substantially less carbon-dioxide emissions than mining in the earth’s crust. This is how the majority of the population residing in proximity to the Agbogbloshie dump make a living. Using makeshift techniques to extract these metals, they put their health at risk. Various organizations have taken the initiative to try and tackle this issue that is brought about by this “leakage”. The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), through the GIZ, has come up with a project that aims to improve the framework for sustainable e-waste management in Ghana. 

Kenya: Customer Bora

In recent years, Kenya has seen changes stemming from government to tackle waste such as  its plastic bag ban in 2017, following in Rwanda’s footsteps and as an example to Tanzania, which joined the movement in 2019. Though the plastic bag ban has contributed significantly to the fight against plastic pollution, Nairobi is still plagued with waste. Waste chokes the waterways, drainage pipes and most of all poses serious health threats to the people and animals living near dumpsites, both controlled or uncontrolled.

Kenyan hip-hop artist Juliani is disrupting the waste cycle with his innovative circular economy initiative, Customer Bora. Customer Bora aims to put the power to fight waste in the hands of the consumer. By linking consumers, waste collectors and recycling plants, Customer Bora acts as the middleman by providing an online platform for individuals to request for waste collection at their doorstep, which is done by environmental youth groups who are then put in touch with recyclers. Thus far they are working in several neighborhoods in Nairobi such as Dandora, Kibera, Dagoretti and Kilimani with about 25 Taka Banks (waste collection points) around the city. Stay tuned for our written interview with him to learn more!

South Africa: Plastic Roads

As the world’s population continues to increase, so does the amount of garbage that people produce. On-the-go lifestyles require easily disposable products, such as soda cans or bottles of water, but the accumulation of these products has led to increasing amounts of plastic pollution around the world. As plastic is composed of major toxic pollutants, it has the potential to cause significant harm to the environment in the form of air, water, and land pollution.

To combat this myriad of issues brought about by the use of plastics, the Kouga Municipality of South Africa has announced that it will trial South Africa’s first plastic road. According to MacRebur’s website, its products are made using materials derived from non-recyclable waste plastic that was destined for landfill or incineration.

This project, which will be supported by Port Elizabeth-based civil engineering and construction companies SP Excel and Scribante Construction, will be a huge step in South Africa’s effort to become a circular economy.

The case studies highlighted in this article show not only the great opportunity which is present when waste is managed and utilized properly, but also the risks which are prevalent if it is not disposed of and treated in the correct manner. Projects such as the Goreangab Treatment Plant are pioneering in the sector and this one in particular has been an example to those in developed countries, with people coming from all over the world to visit the plant to see how they could replicate and adapt it to their countries.

This not only shifts the narrative of Africa being a continent of dependence on foreign aid and ideas but that Africa is also the hub of innovation when it comes to fore running projects which enhance the global movement towards sustainable development and waste management.

Dereck Ngala holds an Msc in Management Information Systems from Kenya Methodist University. He is currently working as a consultant with the UN-Habitat Legal Office. He is interested in management of urban waste, and the influence of ICT on urban areas in terms of planning and design.

Lubna Elmahdy holds a bachelor’s degree Cum Laude in International Relations from the United States International University-Africa (USIU-A). During her studies, she undertook research on the role of women in post-conflict community development in urban areas with a case study of Liberia and South Sudan. She is interested in the interlinkages within the sphere of urban development, specifically in analyzing the socioeconomic factors which drive resilience and inclusivity of cities in the African context. She is currently working in communications at the Stockholm Environment Institute - Africa headquarters, where she helps transform scientific research into human-impact stories. Prior to this, she worked in UN-Habitat as a digital media strategist, managing the social media platforms of the Executive Director. She has also worked in communications and events management at Nairobi Design Week, where she brought together African designers of all disciplines focused on human-centered design.