Shlomit Sufa, Maxwell Kojo Xonuwho and Esther Cobbah
MAKING CHARCOAL briquettes from organic waste has earned a group of young Ghanaian entrepreneurs the opportunity to travel to Israel to learn from startup companies.
The founder of Ebapreneurs Solutions, Maxwell Kojo Xonuwho, winner of the competition, presented a 10X7 feet solar dryer that could dry food crops within an 8-hour period. He will be travelling to Israel as part of the package.
The competition formed part of activities outlined at the 2021 Ghana Garden and flowers Show held from August 25 to August 29, 2021.
Organised by Stratcomm Africa under the auspices of the Ghana Garden and Flower Movement, the ninth edition of the event held under the theme, “9G: Nine years of green living.”
It sought to create a culture of environmental awareness by promoting the commercial, aesthetic and health benefits of horticulture and floriculture.
The winner fended off competition from other entrepreneurs such as Yusif Sadique, Ernest Apetsi, Kwadwo Asare Apori and Salma Phidelia Korley.
In an interview with Daily Guide, Mr Xonu, said the idea of recycling waste to produce a commodity that was environmentally friendly was the team’s contribution to helping Ghana fight climate change.
He indicated that the briquettes would go a long way to reduce tree cutting for charcoal making, improve health of users since it did not emit smoke and also help to manage the waste situation in the country.
“Sixty (60) per cent of urban Ghana uses charcoal which comes from our forest. And so, if we are able meet that demand, then we can lessen the burden on our forest,” he said.
On the other hand, the solar dryer which is stationed in Akotikrom in the Eastern region, he said, has helped cassava farmers reduce post-harvest losses, reduce processing time and also improve the quality of food.
He identified funding as a major challenge to the operations of his venture which required scaling up in order to achieve maximum impact.
The Israeli Ambassador-designate to Ghana, Shlomit Sufa, encouraged entrepreneurs who could not win the competition to not renege on fulfilling their dreams.
Chief Executive Officer of Stratcomm Africa, Esther Cobbah, hinted at introducing road shows in other regions in order to intensify the awareness of living green.
She also encouraged financial institutions to consider investing in floriculture and horticulture initiatives since all corporate institutions did have a role to preserve the environment in which they operated.
BY Issah Mohammed