GIZ Launches InnoWaste Project

A group photograph of officials at the InnoWaste Project launch

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?GIZ Ghana has launched a new project dubbed “InnoWaste: Empowering Youths through Innovative Plastic Waste Management Solutions” to improve the livelihoods of actors within the plastic waste management ecosystem, with a strong focus on empowering women and youth across the waste value chain.

?Funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and jointly funded through the develoPPP programme, the project aims to accelerate Ghana’s transition towards a circular economy while addressing the country’s rapidly growing plastic waste crisis.

?Cluster Coordinator, Network for Inclusive Economic Development (NIED) GIZ, Mr. Willhelm Hugo, highlighted that InnoWaste is structured to deliver a “triple win” for Ghanaian communities through ‘Environmental Win’; by reducing urban plastic pollution, promoting robust recycling systems, and advancing the national circular economy; ‘Economic Win’; by unlocking local business opportunities, strengthening supply chains, and generating decent green jobs; and ‘Social Win’; by improving community livelihoods, fostering inclusive resilience, and prioritising the empowerment of local youth and women.

?Technical Advisor, develoPPP Ghana, Donald Manlenze Eshun, explained that InnoWaste Project launched by GIZ, partnering with Zoomlion and Blue Skies, aims to transform Ghana’s circular economy by September 2028. Focusing heavily on empowering women and youth, the initiative targets creating 6,000 jobs, boosting incomes for 365 waste actors, and improving conditions for over 3,600 workers.

?The project, he said, will expand recycling plant production by 50% while cutting operational costs. Key strategies include deploying a waste-tracking mobile app, launching “reverse vending machines,” distributing tricycles and protective gear, and registering 60,000 people for health insurance. Educational campaigns and school programmes will also drive community-wide behaviour change.

?The Chief Director, Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology, Ms. Suweibatu Adam Esq, in her speech, stressed that the theme “From Waste to Wealth: Driving a Circular Future”,  focuses on sustainable improvement of livelihoods within Ghana’s plastic waste management ecosystem, with emphasis on empowering women and youth.

?According to her, Ghana generates approximately 1 million metric tons of plastic waste every year, a figure growing at an estimated 5.4% annually. Yet, only 9.5% of that plastic is currently collected for recycling, and the rest ends up in drains, rivers, oceans, and communities.

?She emphasised that research estimates Ghana could generate more than GH¢88 million annually simply by recycling its plastic waste.

?The Deputy Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Rita Naa Odoley Sowah, disclosed that the project aligns strongly with both the priorities of her ministry and the commitments Ghana has made to the international community on circular economy and climate action.

?According to her, a just transition to a circular economy must be developed by directly targeting plastic waste management and anchoring this work within the local governance system of the district assemblies. ??

?The Environmental Sanitation Policy, the National Plastic Waste Management Policy, and the regulatory frameworks of the Environmental Protection Agency, she said, have come together to create a favourable governance architecture within which projects like InnoWaste can operate.

?”We have strengthened the framework for public-private partnership in waste infrastructure, creating the condition for private capital to enter sectors and interventions that government alone cannot fully finance,” she added.

?”Also, we are actively engaging with carbon finance initiatives, including Article 6 mechanisms under the Paris Agreement, and we have made significant progress in unlocking climate finance through waste recovery interventions. I’m reliably informed that the Government of Ghana will soon authorise the transfer of carbon credits from four integrated recycling and compost plants to the Swiss government under the Internationally Transferrable Mitigation Outcomes Framework,” she reiterated.

?She pointed out that, the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy, and Religious Affairs stands ready to support the full realisation of the goals of InnoWaste Project and will work with GIZ, Zoomlion, and Blue Skies to connect the project with local assemblies to ensure its success is felt across all districts.

?For his part, the Head of Foundation, Brands Communications and Public Affairs, Blue Skies Products, Mr. Alistair Djimatey, stated that the launch of the Innowaste Project marks the beginning of a shared commitment towards building a cleaner community, creating opportunities for young people, and protecting the environment for future generations.

?”Through this project, we are empowering young people, young entrepreneurs as agents of change by collecting plastics from our local communities and environment and transforming them into value,” he added.

By Janet Odei Amponsah

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