The Ashaiman Recycling Plant, Ghana
This is the Safisana recycling plant, located in Ashaiman, a densely populated settlement in the Greater Accra Area, serving over 250,000 inhabitants, 90 percent of whom lives below the poverty line. Commissioned by the Municipality of Ashaiman and the Ghanese National Ministeries of Energy and Agriculture, and financed primarily by the AfDB and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the plant opened its doors in 2017. It was the result of a long journey that had started back in 2010 and that had brought us on the sometimes bumpy road of trial and error. With the circular economy being firmly still in the theoretic phase, we invested in our relationships with the critical partners, and we learnt what was needed to achieve our highly desired, truly local approach. Today the Ashaiman facility has grown into an economically stable locally managed company – run by a team of 28 highly skilled local specialists, and a readymade blueprint for replication.
A growing impact on 50,000+ people
To date the recycling plant has improved the lives of thousands of people living and working in Ashaiman, generating social, economic and environmental benefits for the local community as a whole. Improved sanitation services and waste collection have led to cleaner and healthier living and working environment. The production of clean energy, nutrient-rich soil (fertiliser) as well as clean irrigation water has lowered carbon footprint and improved food security and safety. In addition, the plant generates direct employment for local staff as well as for related local businesses such as energy companies, waste collecting companies, toilet operators and local farmers.
9,700
tonnes feacal waste
treated per year
3,600
tonnes of organic waste
treated per year
600 MwH
energy produced per year
91,000
Kg produced per year
Meet the people of Ashaiman
Miss Agyeiwaa, Food Vendor at
local Ashaiman Food Market
'Our work environment is more clean now. We save money instead of paying to the informal waste collectors. This is because Safisana doesn’t charge us for collecting the waste. Their frequent collection is helping to save us from bad odour and some disturbance from rodents we used to experience in the past.'
Mr. Kwaku Yahaya
Toilet Operator
'I love Safisana, our faecal matter is recycled into useful products like electricity and biofertilizer. Safisana educates us on how to manage our toilets through hygiene training and on top of it now upgraded my toilet in the second time to the standard that is attracting more customers.'
Local farmer Raymond Frimpong from Unique Vegetable Farms Limited
'Ever since I started using Safisana’s Asase Gyefo compost three years ago, I get better yields from my crops in my greenhouse then before.'
Kwabena Ampadu Otu - Danquah
Former Director of Renewable Energy
at the Energy Commission
'Proper waste treatment supports climate change response, waste management and sustainable development simultaneously. We appreciate Safiana’s close loop/ circular economy approach and we would continue to work together to expand the model in other parts of Ghana.'
Expanding local solutions
Mali, Bamako
Project Partners: Angesem, World Waternet, Dutch Fund for Climate and Development
Status: Pre-feasibility market study completed for the building of a Safisana recycling plant in addition to an existing waste water treatment plant. Feasibility phase, preparing for tender phase by mid 2021.
Uganda, Kampala
Project Partners: National Water and Sewerage Corporation, WaterWorx/Vitens Evides
Status: Pre-feasibility market study completed for the building of a Safisana recycling plant in addition to an existing waste water treatment plant. Preparing for feasibility – full project plan by mid 2021.
Zimbabwe, Harare
Project Partners: Harare Water, Vitens Evides
Opportunity: Pre-feasibility study completed for the building of a Safisana recycling plant in addition to an existing waste water treatment plant. Preparation for feasibility phase – full project plan in 2021.
Ghana, Kumasi
Project Partners: Clean Team Toilets
Opportunity: Project development and market pre-feasibility on an integrated approach for toilet services (Clean Team) and full waste recycling (Safisana) in Kumasi. Pre-feasibility phase – full project plan by 2022.
Our partners
Contact
Safisana HQ, The Netherlands
+31 (0)294 773857
info@safisana.org
Stationsplein 30
PO Box 5064, 1382 CB Weesp
Office, Ghana
+233 (0) 302972380
ashaiman@safisana.org
P. O. Box CT 8312, Cantonments Accra Ghana.
1 kilometer from Tema-Motorway underbridge,
Adjei-Kojo Ashaiman
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