A team comprising of researchers from the Environmental and Sanitation cluster of the Jospong Group of Companies presented research findings on waste management and climate resilience at the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) 2026 conference organized by its Africa chapter at Harare in Zimbabwe.
The conference which was on the theme “Enhancing Sustainable Waste Management Practices and Circular Economy” brought together policymakers, industry leaders, researchers and innovators shaping the future of sustainable waste management and environmental resilience across the continent.
Dr. Priscilla Addo, Operations Manager of the Sunyani Integrated Recycling and Composting Plant (IRECOP) presented on “Bioconversion of Municipal Organic Solid Waste (MOSW) through Black Soldier Fly Larvae Composting: Implications for Climate Smart Waste Management in Ghana”.
She noted that Black Soldier Fly Larvae technology “presents a promising pathway for waste valorization, but the resulting compost requires nutrient balancing, stabilization, and safety assurance before widespread application”.
Dr. Rebecca Yandam (Research, Innovations and Development Lead at Zoomlion Ghana Limited) presented on the topic “Material Flows, Labour Dynamics and Sustainability Challenges in Urban Materials Recovery Systems: Evidence from the Ashanti Region, Ghana”.
She said that Over 60% of recovery activity is concentrated in a few urban centres, with over 73% of collectors having basic or no formal education, pointing it out as a significant skill Gap. “Women constitute nearly two thirds (65.5%) of the workforce, underscoring the critical role of women in driving Africa’s circular economy at the grassroots”, she revealed.
Dr. Philomina Mamley Adantey Arthur also presented on the topic “Advancing Circular Economy Practices in Municipal Wastewater and Sludge Management: Evidence from a Full-Scale Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) reactor System in Accra, Ghana”.
She made a case for Municipal Utilities & City Governments to commit to circular economy operation models for waste water treatment plants, stop treating wastewater as a cost centre and start managing it as a resource facility.
The others are Mr. James Deku of Zoomlion Ghana Limited who presented on “Assessment of Ghana’s preparedness to the impacts of climate change on sanitation”, Ing. Senam Tengey (Comparative Analysis of Microwave and Steam Treatment Techniques for Healthcare Waste), Mr. Benjamin Dinka Yandam (Toward Centralized Medical Waste Treatment: Evidence from Facility-Level Practices in the Upper West Region, Ghana), Mr. Albert Amanor-Nartey (Situational Analysis of Centralized Healthcare Waste Treatment Plant in Volta Region, Ghana) and Mr. Nana Bonku Eshun who presented on “ Digitalizing Municipal Waste Haulage in Ghana: Lessons from the SIP System Implementation”.
A senior Corporate Affairs officer of the Jospong Group of Companies, Ernestina Sintim who was with the team explained that the Group is committed to providing research-based sustainable waste management infrastructure for the continent.
She urged Africa governments to support African solutions for a sustainable waste management.