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The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Intellivision Technologies Ltd, an IT consulting company that specialises in delivering innovative technology solutions to businesses, to establish a 100-tonne plastic-to-fuel pyrolysis plant in Accra.
Pyrolysis is one of the technologies that converts biomass to an intermediate liquid product that can be refined to hydrocarbon biofuels, oxygenated fuel additives and petrochemical replacements.
The plant will convert plastic waste into premium-grade petrol, diesel, kerosene and activated carbon.
The MoU was signed in Accra last Tuesday, marking a key milestone for the execution of the project.
The Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE) of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), Michael Kpakpo Allotey, signed the MoU on behalf of the assembly, while the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Intellivision Technologies Ltd, Kelvin Boateng, initialled for his company.
With that hurdle cleared, construction work on the project will begin next year, and it is expected to be fully operational within 18 months.
Preparatory work is ongoing for site development, which is located on a 25-acre parcel of land off the Korle Bu Mortuary Road.
At the event, Mr Allotey said the facility was a practical solution to Accra’s plastic menace, since it would help divert thousands of tonnes of low-value plastics from drains and landfills, open burning, and turn waste into useful oil and gas.
He said beyond the environmental gains, the plant would create jobs across the value chain — collection, sorting and operations, and strengthen the city's sanitation efforts.
Again, he said, when the plant is operational, it would give the city a reliable end-market for sachets and films that recyclers could not use.
The AMA MCE said the MoU aligned with the assembly’s efforts to improve sanitation, reduce the environmental burden of plastics, and stimulate green jobs through private-sector participation.
He added that the initiative would create about 1500 direct and indirect jobs for the people of Accra and beyond.
For his part, the MCE for the Korle Klottey Municipal Assembly (KOKMA), Alfred Allotey-Gaisie, emphasised that the initiative was great and would help to keep the city clean.
He encouraged other municipal assemblies within and outside Accra to adopt this initiative to help keep the country clean.
Mr Boateng said the agreement was intended to “ignite a movement” that placed innovation at the centre of Accra’s waste management.
He described the project as a key pathway to a cleaner, healthier and more prosperous future for residents.
He added that the company’s strategy was focused on the circular economy that thrived on turning plastic from waste into a resource.
He said the plant was expected to create jobs and unlock new economic opportunities.
Again, he also observed that a clean city was synonymous with dignity, social well-being and economic strength, which was why the partnership with the AMA was progressive.
Mr Boateng said the project was a model for Ghana and the wider African continent, and emphasised that plastic waste should not be viewed as the end of a product’s life cycle but as raw material for new value.
He said the initiative was only the beginning of a longer-term drive to scale resource recovery solutions, adding that outputs were being engineered to meet strict international specifications for industrial and commercial use.
The Head of Waste Management at the AMA, Solomon Noi, said the project was transformational because it would ensure large-scale refining of plastics and reduce environmental pollution.
"The technology is going to convert these plastic wastes into useful fuel for the consumption of our industries, and this is good because it has the added advantage of addressing plastic management challenges", he said.
He explained that a tonne is equivalent to 100 bags of cement, so getting a plant that can process 100 tonnes of plastic waste will make the entire Accra clean while generating fuel as well.
