Through the programme Partnerships for sustainable solutions with Sub-Saharan Africa – measures for research and integrated postgraduate education and further training, the DAAD and the BMBF’s International Bureau, which is part of the DLR (German Aerospace Center) Project Management Agency, use funds provided by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) to support German-African higher education cooperation. The funded initiatives include the “SuCCESS24” project of the universities of Stuttgart, Ghana and Addis Ababa, which aims to create an efficient waste management and circular economy in African residential areas and industrial zones.

Non-regulated landfill sites that contaminate the water, air and soil, open waste incineration and a recycling rate of below ten percent – not to mention beaches littered with plastic waste: a lack of essential structures and financial resources means that numerous developing countries and emerging economies are battling with massive challenges when it comes to waste disposal and the reuse of valuable raw materials. People, the climate and nature are also suffering from waste-related problems in Sub-Saharan Africa – with an increasing volume of waste. The cooperation project “SuCCESS24” (Sustainable Cities, Circular Economy, Sub-Saharan Africa 2024) of the University of Stuttgart, the University of Ghana and Addis Ababa University intends to change this as quickly as possible. It has set itself the goal of using a circular economy approach and resilient waste management methods to increase sustainable development in African residential areas and industrial zones. “We are particularly interested in the domestic and industrial waste that is generated along a nearly 100-kilometre corridor between the capital Addis Ababa and Adama in Ethiopia,” explains Karoline Owusu-Sekyere, who coordinates the collaborative project together with colleagues at the University of Stuttgart’s Institute for Sanitary Engineering, Water Quality and Solid Waste Management.

The DAAD finances the project as part of the programme Partnerships for sustainable solutions with Sub-Saharan Africa – measures for research and integrated postgraduate education and further training, funds being provided by the BMBF. The DAAD is responsible for the area of academic cooperation and teaching: thanks to the funding, master’s and PhD students from the universities of Ghana and Addis Ababa, as well as students from German universities, can expand their knowledge of the circular economy.

 “Furthermore, this gives us the opportunity, together with our partners, to adapt our German teaching content in the areas of waste management and the circular economy to the regional specificities in Africa,” says Karoline Owusu-Sekyere. “That is urgently needed because Western Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa differ in terms of various factors, such as infrastructure, climatic conditions and financial resources.” In Ethiopia, for instance, there is just one waste incineration plant, she explains – plus numerous informal landfill sites. “Our project aims to analyse and model the local waste management system to assess the environmental impacts and material flows so as to support local decision-makers in their efforts to make waste management and the circular economy more efficient and eco-friendly.”

This also applies to the matters of waste separation and recycling: “Poorer segments of the population in particular often do not have the chance to separate plastic, paper and organic waste, yet the latter accounts for more than 60 percent of household waste and could be composted,” explains Owusu-Sekyere. In a first step towards bringing about a sustainable circular economy, the project partners analyse the waste system and develop a set of indicators to enable specialists in local government, planning, science and technology to take quick, efficient and sustainable decisions about waste management. Consequently, future waste treatment plants for example can be designed in a way that better reflects local circumstances and waste separation can be promoted in households. 

During a two-week summer school at Addis Ababa University in early July 2023, all the project partners came together to deepen their collaboration. The lectures, workshops and excursions all focused on sustainable resource and waste management in Africa, though they also considered the needs of the local population and the importance of the informal sector. In addition, the participants discussed political instruments, which are key elements of sustainable waste management. Among the participants were eight students from each of the three universities involved, specialising in the areas of environmental engineering, waste management, geology and resource management, chemical engineering, social sciences and architecture. They were able to attend thanks to a DAAD scholarship. “The students used a special tool to calculate the greenhouse gas emissions of the waste, for example,” explains Owusu-Sekyere. “In another workshop, we conducted a material flow analysis with the aim of improving current waste management practice.”

Martin Oteng-Ababio, a professor at the Department of Geography and Resource Development at the University of Ghana, was delighted by the “exceptional and highly successful event” and praised the professional way in which it was organised and run – not to mention the great motivation of the students. “They attended the lectures and workshops each day with enthusiasm, a desire to learn, curiosity and commitment.” Dr Shimelis Kassahun, an associate professor of chemical and environmental engineering at the Addis Ababa Institute of Technology, also expressed his thanks to the experts, as well as to the students for their dedication, and said that he was proud to have hosted the summer school. “Our students had the opportunity here to improve their academic achievements, acquire a deeper understanding of waste management and develop practical skills in this area,” he said. Serving as a platform for interaction and for sharing ideas, the summer school also facilitated joint learning and resulted in new insights into sustainable waste management, he added.

Imparting valuable knowledge, discussing potential solutions for the circular economy and training intercultural skills: another joint summer school is planned for 2024, this time to take place in Ghana, with the same goals in mind. “Integrating students and PhD candidates in the event, as well as in the project as a whole, is extremely important, as this trains future specialists in the circular economy,” says Karoline Owusu-Sekyere. “This is the only way for us to ensure for example that biogas plants are put into operation in Ethiopia or Ghana in the future.”

Christina Pfänder (16 August 2023)