The partnership involving Austrian universities, businesses and the Jospong Group aims to develop locally relevant waste management technologies and skills rather than rely solely on ready-made solutions.

Mr Jürgen Heissel, Austrian Ambassador to Ghana, told the Ghana News Agency after visiting the Kumasi Composting and Recycling Plant (KCARP) that the partnership would promote joint development of solutions.

“The idea is not just to come with something ready-made, but also to develop it together, at eye level,” he said.

The visit enabled the Ambassador to interact with beneficiaries of the Waste Academy project, supported by the Austrian Development Agency’s Economic Partnerships Programme since April 2024.

The project is being implemented by the Jospong Group of Companies, Komptech and the Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien) to train waste managers in integrated solid waste management and resource recovery.

Mr Heissel said the initiative demonstrated that waste management was both an environmental and economic development issue, with potential to create jobs and generate value.

“This is something we can bring a lot of expertise to, and a partnership is also a long way,” he said.

Mr Heissel said Austria’s Africa strategy provided opportunities to strengthen cooperation in human resource development, training and financing for waste management initiatives.

He expressed the hope that Ghana would become a model for clean cities in Africa and said Austria was prepared to support efforts towards that goal.

Mr Jacob Kwaku Ladi, Group Head of Learning and Development and Project Manager of the Jospong-Komptech Waste Academy, said expanding Ghana’s waste management innovations across Africa would require investment in technology and human resources.

He said the recycling technology programme was being implemented mainly through technical institutions and that its planned expansion made strengthening local training capacity essential.

Mr Ladi said the programme was therefore using a Training of Trainers (ToT) approach to build local capacity.

Mr Samuel Ntumy, General Manager of KCARP, said education and skills development were central to waste management innovation and should not be treated separately from technology.

He said the peer-to-peer partnership could help Ghana develop solutions suited to local conditions while drawing on international expertise and create opportunities to share those solutions with other African countries.

Mr Ntumy said the collaboration reflected a shift towards treating waste as a resource and economic opportunity, with recycling and recovery technologies capable of creating jobs, supporting businesses and reducing environmental pressures.