Cooperation of associations in Ghana

Small-scale-measure in pre-project-funds between German Recycling Technologies and Waste Management Partnership e.V. (RETech) and Plastics Recyclers and Aggregators Association (PRAAG) in Ghana

Agbogbloshie in Accra, Ghana ©BlackForest Solutions GmbH

German RETech Partnership (RETech) and Plastics Recyclers and Aggregators Association (PRAAG) are jointly carrying out a smale-scale-measure in Capacity Building in Ghana. The activities include locally organized training sessions and courses on various waste management topics, to enable the association to carry out these trainings in Ghana itself (train the trainer principle). Moreover, RETech will also share and support its knowledge with PRAAG in organizational development and co-design of political processes.

PRAAG is an association that supports the establishment of circular economies by building inclusive collection systems that enable workers, especially in the informal sector, to transfer positive economic and environmental impacts to their communities.The association fosters strong relationships between value chain stakeholders, private organizations, and local and national governments to ensure the development of innovative closed-loop systems that can be replicated and scaled in African communities.

As short-term experts, RETech member companies Black Forest Solution GmbH, eclareon GmbH, Nehlsen AG/Rodiek & Co. GmbH and Rostock University/envero GmbH as well as Environment360 will accompany and support the project in Ghana. The duration of this project is estimated at one year (15.10.2020 bis 30.11.2021). If the short measure is successful for all participants, it is conceivable to transfer this partnership into a classic chamber and association partnership with two phases of three years duration and a larger budget.

Objectives

Training in Accra, Ghana, ©BlackForest Solution GmbH

The project objective of the small-scale measure is to develop training in the waste sector and to strengthen PRAAG as a long-term provider by implementing a sustainable business model. Based on interviews and a needs assessment, a curriculum for waste management training will be developed. Ghanaian trainers are trained for this training and training materials are developed. Then participants are recruited for training and two four-day training sessions are conducted. “Lessons learned” will be recorded in order to develop a business model based on the experience gained, which will determine how the Ghanaian project partner PRAAG can offer the training in the long term and cover costs.

Background

Poverty in Ghana has been reduced in recent decades, reaching an annual per capita income of $4,600 in 2017, placing Ghana on the list of middle-income countries since 2010 and indicating positive changes in the country in the otherwise crisis-prone West African subregion. However, around a quarter of the population still lives below the poverty line.

Despite comparatively high economic stability, Ghana still lacks well-educated people and global competitiveness. Economic actors have difficulty obtaining sufficient financial resources and modern technologies. Large percentages of the population work at subsistence level in the informal sector. Furthermore, disadvantaged population groups and the civil society are hardly in a position to participate or influence sociopolitical decision-making processes.

Ghana's waste management sector is currently still almost entirely dependent on the mostly disorderly dumping of waste and the involvement of the informal sector in the disorderly collection and sorting of recyclables. The current practice poses a high risk to the health of the population as well as to the environment, and also exacerbates climate change through methane emissions. However, the country is also at the beginning of a process in which society and political actors are becoming increasingly aware of the importance and benefits of modern waste management.

This currently beginning socio-political process, which also extends to the areas of municipal and industrial waste, can be accompanied by the German waste management industry with its diverse solutions along the entire value chain with its Ghanaian partners and support the development of a new, intelligent infrastructure, which should also include and integrate construction, trade, transport, education, health and employment. In addition, the project also counteracts the scarcity of resources through the circular economy concept and takes up important aspects of the Marshall Plan for Africa "Resource Conservation and Climate Change".

In Cooperation with:

External short-term experts:

Supported by:

Small-scale-measure is funded over sequa gGmbH by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).