Ghana’s Experiences with RECP in AgroProcessing Industries in Ghana
Lambert Faabeluon
Director/GNCPC
Introduction
• Ghana has developed a roadmap; sustainable development
action plan (SDAP) in 14 different sectors from which 133
projects were identified
• The Ghana National Cleaner Production Centre (GNCPC)
was inaugurated in 2012 with support from UNEP and also
serves as the Focal Centre for Ghana on Sustainable
Consumption and Production (SCP) and implementing
Resource Efficiency and Cleaner Production (RECP) in SMEs
• The GNCPC (which is being hosted by the EPA), is also
supporting the EPA with practical operational experience or
inputs into its policy formulation, mainstreaming, and
implementation at the national level with particular
reference to the manufacturing industry sector.
• The NCPC has since its inauguration
conducted RECP pilot projects in Agroprocessing, Chemical, Waste oil treatment,
Textile manufacturing and breweries.
• The GNCPC has, with backing from the EPA,
also organized and hosted SCP roundtables:
ARSCP-7 in May 2012 and Agri-Food in August
2013
Agri-food Sector
• The agri-food sector (includes food processing, marketing,
and retailing) is one of the most vulnerable business sectors
that can fluctuate based on environmental changes.
• Risks to businesses include changes in availability, quality,
and price of agricultural products and addressing these
risks were embedded in the National Food Security Policy
• Application of RECP in the Agro-processing sector lead to
business competitiveness and new products
• The main agro-processing activities were in the Cocoa
Processing, Fish Processing and beer brewery
• Feasibilities for RECP were also carried out in the Rice, the
nuts (palm nut, shea nut, cashew nut) processing as well as
the fruits (mango, pineapple, pawpaw, orange) processing
Category
Processing business
Interventions
Cash Crop
Cocoa
Water, wastewater, energy
Shea nut/Groundnut/Cashew nut
Feasibility
Oil Palm
Energy/Waste, water
Soy beans (drinks, oil)
Rubber
Grains
Sorghum, rice (to beer)
Fish/meat
Canning, fish meals, drying
Energy, waste, water
Fruits
Pawpaw, Pineapple, Oranges
Waste-to-energy
Mango, Passion fruit, guava
Waste-to-energy
Root
Ginger
Food
waste
Hospitality industry
Animal feed
Results from the Cocoa Processing
There are 12 Cocoa processing plants operating in the country and the
Pilot project covered 3 Plants and 2 are currently being assessed.
The assessment covered Energy (LPG, steam, diesel, electrical power),
water, waste (solid and effluent), and the RECP Programme has
enabled the plants to make more efficient use of resources, and this
has resulted in reduced cost of production. The information below
are mean values
• Savings made on LPG delivery by installing meters on gas receiving
tanks was Gh ₵9,000.00 per delivery and payback period of 1 month
• Reduction in energy per ton of cocoa beans processed by 14.67kWh/t
by replacing 2 pin mills with a hammer mill with pay back period of 6
months.
• A noted reduction COD load 1,600mg/l to 250mg/l on effluent
resulting from using siphon pumps to transfer chemicals rather than
the manual transfer that was previously being used.
• There was a reduction in the volume of paper use by 45% with the
introduction of double sided printing.
• Promoting the use of the internal mail system to share and exchange
information also reduced the need to print internal documents and
paper use by a further 25%.
Cocoa Processing
• The companies began to export cocoa shells rather than
dumping at the waste disposal plant, thereby generating
revenue US$54,000.00 /month
• Led to a policy of biomass boiler installation to use the
cocoa shells for generating steam rather than using
diesel-powered boilers.
• Plants procured Free Fatty Acids (FFA) analyzers which
requires less butter resulting savings Gh₵ 12000/month
with a payback period of 8 months.
• About 2,592 hectoliters/month of boiler feed water for
the soxhlet extractor in the laboratory now recycled.
This saves each company Gh₵ 56,509.75 per year.
• The results of the Programme has enhanced the
competitiveness of the companies in the international
market with reduced cost of cocoa butter production
Fish Processing – 2 Plants
• The 2 plants implemented RECP in Waste
management (solid and effluent)
• Generation of essential oil from the fish heads
• Production of fish meals for the aqua-culture and
poultry feed (new plant). Mean investment is
US$70,000 and payback of 18 months
• Installation of a wastewater treatment plant with
water as boiler feed and for thawing fish. Mean
investment of US$500,000 with payback of 28
months.
Fruits Processing –Green Business
• Involves pineapple, pawpaw, Mango and a
completely new plant: Products are mainly
exported to Sweden, Switzerland and
Denmark
Energy: All renewable
• Solar for lighting and operating slicers
• Organic waste to biogas and the biogas for
firing dryers
• Water all harvested and storm water dammed
• Sludge used as fertilizer on out-grower farms
Further work
• Feasibility done to replicate the project in cashew
nut, pawpaw, orange at the farm gates of small
farms
• Feasibility also carried out to implement project
in small scale artisanal palm oil processors
• Enclave-type Waste-to-Energy for Cocoa and
wood processing plants pooling biomass to
power a boilers to generate steam to run a
50MW power plant and supply spent steam to
the cocoa and wood processing plants
Thank You