Enhancing Research and Education through Local Knowledge and Collaboration with the Global South

In June 2024, the UGlobe team travelled to Accra, Ghana, to meet with the team of Dr. Fatima Denton and visit initiatives involved in our collaborative project on the topic of Just Transitions. Our time there allowed us to engage directly with three specific projects that illustrate the specific challenges addressed by the Just Transitions project. We are grateful to Emelda Quainoo, Maria Ancilla Bombande, Vanessa Awanyo and the team at UNU-INRA for their warm hospitality and generous hosting. Here, we offer a brief overview of our insightful experience.

Just Transitions in Madina Nsamanpom: Elevating Women's Voices in Palm Kernel Oil Processing

Madina Nsamanpom, a community in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana, is a significant hub for palm kernel oil processing. This industry, rooted in the informal economy, serves as a crucial source of livelihood for many, especially women.

The Informal Economy: Global and Local Realities

The informal economy is a dominant force in global employment, especially in developing regions. According to the International Labour Organization (2018), over 60% of the global workforce—approximately 2 billion people—are engaged in informal work, often under difficult conditions. In Africa, this figure rises to 86%, with women constituting a significant majority, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. In Ghana, about 90% of the workforce operates in the informal sector, with women comprising more than half of this demographic.

Women at the Heart of Palm Kernel Oil Processing

In Madina Nsamanpom, women play a central role in the palm kernel oil processing industry. This sector, which involves labor-intensive activities such as harvesting, threshing, crushing, roasting, pressing, and packaging, provides vital income for numerous families. Despite the sector's challenges, these women sustain their households and make substantial contributions to the local economy.

The working conditions for most small-scale palm oil producers are incredibly challenging. In a smoke-filled environment, they rely on manual methods, rudimentary tools, and low-efficiency machines to produce palm oil

The push to boycott palm oil in Western countries poses a dilemma: while it aims to promote sustainability, it threatens the livelihoods of millions of Ghanaian women dependent on the palm kernel oil industry. A just transition is imperative here, ensuring that the benefits of transitioning to a green economy are equitably shared and that adequate support is provided to those impacted economically. The palm oil industry in Ghana faces numerous challenges that disproportionately affect women, underscoring the need for inclusive and sustainable economic development policies that prioritize their voices in decision-making processes.

Empowering Ghana's Young Green Entrepreneurs for a Sustainable Future

The Strategic Youth Network for Development (SYND) has launched a capacity-building program in Accra, targeting 25 young green entrepreneurs (YGEs). This initiative, which began in 2021, aims to position these entrepreneurs as key drivers in promoting Ghana's renewable energy resources. By doing so, it seeks to foster sustainable economic growth, enhance social well-being, and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change.

The program is a direct response to challenges identified through SYND's surveys, which revealed that young entrepreneurs often struggle with limited access to funding, poor marketing and sales skills, a lack of awareness about tax incentives, and underdeveloped business concepts. To address these issues, SYND aims to provide the necessary guidance and support to make these businesses investor-ready.

Combating Climate Change

SYND's leadership emphasizes the crucial role of youth in combating climate change. Beyond having the right agreements, policies, and strategies, it is essential to engage young people, leveraging their skills, expertise, and knowledge to achieve collective environmental goals. With Ghana aiming to create approximately 200,000 jobs in the renewable energy sector by 2030, the Young Green Entrepreneurs program is pivotal in identifying and empowering young individuals to develop innovative green solutions, particularly in areas like plastic waste recycling.

Introducing Solar Drying Solutions to Reduce Post-Harvest Losses

We had the opportunity to visit one of the participants: EBApreneur. Their primary goal is to connect with smallholder cassava farmers and introduce an innovative solution to one of their most persistent challenges: post-harvest losses. Cassava, a staple crop for millions worldwide, holds immense economic and nutritional significance. Recognizing this, the business is committed to empowering these communities by introducing solar drying solutions.

Solar dryers harness solar energy to effectively dry substances, particularly food, by utilizing the sun's heat to reduce moisture content. Solar drying offers a sustainable and cost-effective alternative to traditional methods, such as sun drying or open-air drying, which are often unreliable and susceptible to weather fluctuations.

EBApreneur plays a vital role in achieving a just transition by implementing sustainable practices that benefit both the environment and local communities in Ghana. I am deeply impressed by the dedication and hard work they put into their innovative idea and the effort they make to bring their product to market

Reducing deforestation and lowering carbon emissions

In addition to solar drying, the business is also transforming cassava peels into briquettes. Using cassava peels helps preserve forests by reducing the demand for wood charcoal; Briquettes made from cassava peels produce fewer carbon emissions and in the long term could create new economic opportunities, providing additional income streams for local farmers.

ACARP: Accra’s Pioneering Waste Sorting and Composting Facility

In Ghana, traditional landfills are overwhelmed with solid waste and plagued by the infiltration of e-waste and plastic waste. This situation has led to widespread pollution in cities like Kpone, 30 km from Accra’s city centre, and other landfill sites across the country. The hazards are manifold: leachate contamination and air pollution pose serious threats to the health of nearby communities. Unprotected youth and women often collect, burn, and extract scrap metals for upcycling, exposing themselves to severe health risks. Health sector reports highlight a worrying decline in air quality in these areas, placing the growing community of waste workers and their families at immediate risk.

Environmental sustainability

In the midst of these challenges, an initiative in Accra is transforming waste management practices. Established in July 2012, the Accra Compost and Recycling Plant (ACARP) is Ghana’s first waste sorting and composting facility, looking to set a standard for environmental sustainability in the region. We had the opportunity to visit the plant just outside Accra to see first-hand the weighing of waste volumes, sorting process and composting.

ACARP integrates waste management by producing high-quality organic compost for agriculture and reclaiming recyclables like plastics, paper, and metal scraps for markets. It's impressive to see how it connects both with local communities and on a larger scale the city of Accra

Benefits of recycling

From a health perspective, it minimizes pollution, contributing to a cleaner and healthier environment. Economically, recycling drives job creation and provides essential raw materials for various industries, fueling sustainable economic growth.

ACARP's efforts contribute significantly to a just transition, which aims to shift from an extractive economy to a regenerative one. By creating sustainable jobs and improving public health, ACARP not only addresses environmental issues but also ensures that the transition benefits everyone, especially the most vulnerable.