In Ghana, Improved, Sustainable Sanitation Helps a "Queen Mother of Oranges" Reign Supreme in Her Heavily Populated Community MarketA 2013 Ghana...
Published on by Trudi Schifter, CEO and Founder AquaSPE
A 2013 Ghana sanitation sector review indicated poor levels of sanitation for many cities, including Accra. Ashaiman Municipal Assembly, one of the 10 district assemblies in the Greater Accra Region, lacked a proper waste management system at the time. Ashaiman's Municipality Assembly, the Training Research and Networking for Development Group, an NGO, and Safi Sana Ghana Limited approached the African Water Facility for funding to implement a project to improve Ashaiman's sanitation and waste management. The project aimed to produce and sell bio-fertilizer and renewable energy derived from community fecal and organic waste.
In 2014, the African Development Bank-hosted African Water Facility and the Netherlands Government provided $1.18 million and $481,896, respectively, for the project, a Public Private Partnership led by Safi Sana Ghana. In under three years, the project had constructed or rehabilitated 11 public toilets; improved organic waste collection services; rolled out a hygiene awareness campaign, constructed an anaerobic composting waste treatment plant; launched production of waste-based bio fertilizer to sell to farmers; created 22 jobs, and connected renewable energy power sources to the municipal grid. Approximately 125,000 Ashaiman residents benefited from the project.