16/09/2026
๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐๐ซ ๐๐๐จ๐ง๐จ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ข๐๐ข๐ฉ๐๐ญ๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ง๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฌ, ๐๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ง๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ฉ๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ ๐๐๐ฏ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐๐ซ๐๐ง๐๐
๐๐ง๐ค๐ข ๐๐๐๐๐จ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ฅ๐ง๐๐จ๐, ๐๐ง๐ค๐ข ๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐๐ง๐ฅ๐ง๐๐จ๐ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐จ๐๐๐ก๐. ๐๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐จ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฉ ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐'๐จ ๐๐๐ง๐๐ช๐ก๐๐ง ๐๐๐ค๐ฃ๐ค๐ข๐ฎ ๐๐จ ๐ง๐๐๐ก๐ก๐ฎ ๐๐๐ค๐ช๐ฉ
Dr Marindame Kombate, Executive Director of the Ghana Circular Economy Centre, says Ghana should treat the switch to a circular economy as an economic strategy, not just an environmental one.
He was speaking at the opening session of the 14th UEED Africa Conference, held at the University Of Cape Coast (UCC). Convened under the theme "Building Resilient Enterprise Development Ecosystems for Africa's Digital and AI Future: Financing, Circular Innovation and Future Jobs," the annual conference brought together universities, industry, government and development partners from Africa and Europe to tackle how the continent can finance innovation, grow small and medium enterprises and create the jobs its young people need. This year's agenda spanned seven subthemes, from digital transformation and artificial intelligence to circular innovation, future work, and gender, equity and social inclusion.
Against that backdrop, Dr Kombate said the main obstacle facing the country was not a shortage of ideas but the difficulty of turning them into businesses.
"Ghana does not lack ideas," he told delegates. "We need a stronger pathway from ideas to commercially viable enterprises."
Dr Kombate said the circular economy was "not simply an environmental issue, but an economic transformation agenda", and argued that designing out waste, recycling waste and off-cuts into new products could build competitive enterprises, create jobs and open up investment.
That, he said, was what the centre was building, working with the University of Cape Coast on plastics, the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology on agriculture, and the Or Foundation on textiles, with Ho Technical University hosting the centre. The aim, he added, was to help innovators move "from innovation to enterprise, and from enterprise to scale".
The project is implemented by the UNIDO - United Nations Industrial Development Organization in partnership with Ghana's Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology(MEST), with funding from Canadaโs International Development โ Global Affairs Canada.
His message was echoed by other speakers. The university's vice-chancellor, Professor Denis Worlanyo Aheto, said the continent's economic future depended on its own people, especially the youth. "The future of Africa will not be built in Silicon Valley," he said. "It will be built here, in Cape Coast, in Kumasi, in Nairobi, in Lagos, by you and by us."
And delivering the keynote address, the Member of Parliament for Cape Coast North Constituency, Hon. Dr Kwamena Minta Nyarku, said environmental problems could be turned to economic advantage. "Circular innovation demonstrates that environmental challenges can become economic opportunities," he said, adding that Ghana was moving away from a "take-make-dispose" model towards one intended to cut waste, create green jobs and use resources more efficiently.
Stay tuned for more updates from the conference - from Ghana Circular Economy Centre's side event and the exhibition of prototypes of the incubatees under the project.
