For years, we’ve been told to sweep our compounds, bag our rubbish, and send it away. Out of sight, out of mind. But according to engineer and climate action expert Ing. Glenn Kwabena Gyimah (PhD), that old way of thinking is not only broken, it’s costing us a fortune.
Speaking at the World Environment Day 2026 National and African Climate Dialogue powered by Metro TV, Dr. Gyimah who is the General Manager of the Jospong Group’s Green Transition, made a strong case for why Ghanaians need to stop seeing waste as a problem and start seeing it as a goldmine.
“In nature there is nothing such as waste,” he said, joining via Zoom. “A fallen leaf does not decay into nothingness. It becomes nutrients to the soil, food for the microorganisms, and life for the next generation of trees.”
For decades, he argued, Ghana and much of the world have followed a linear path: take, make, and dispose. That model, he said, is breaking.
Waste is not the end – it’s a beginning
Dr. Gyimah painted a familiar picture of Accra’s early mornings. Long before the city’s official business hours begin, waste workers are already on the move.
“We find the Zoomlion [Ghana Limited] team sweeping our streets. We find door-to-door businesses knocking on doors to pick up our waste. Informal waste pickers sort through what society has thrown away,” he said.
“To most of these people, it is rubbish, but to them, it is a survivor, an income, an opportunity.”
Citing a 2026 study by the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER) at the University of Ghana, Dr. Gyimah revealed that the waste sector could deliver up to US$47.9 billion in annual economic benefits by 2032, if the country invests properly.
That’s not a typo. Billions.
“Waste is no longer a sanitation issue,” he stressed. “It is increasingly recognized as a resource stream with economic value.”
Six ‘gold mines’ hiding in your rubbish bin
According to the Jospong Group executive, organic waste can be turned into compost to support agriculture and reduce fertilizer imports. Plastic waste can be recycled into pellets for local manufacturing. Electronic waste, which Ghana has struggled with for years, contains gold, copper, and aluminum.
“We create urban mining opportunities,” he said, describing how old electronics can be harvested for valuable materials.
He also pointed to waste tyres, which can be processed into granules for road construction, scrap metals that reduce the need for virgin mining, and even non-recyclable refuse that can be converted into fuel for energy-hungry industries.
“These six gold mines sit with our waste sector,” Dr. Jima said. “How are we exploring them?”
What needs to change?
The engineer didn’t just paint a rosy picture. He laid out five key areas for action: stronger policies on waste segregation, better infrastructure for collection and processing, digital systems including AI for tracking and route optimization, financing that treats circular economy projects as investable, and the formal integration of informal waste pickers.
“By so doing, we are able to bring all on board and drive towards a sustainable, inclusive growth and provide dignified livelihood to all,” he said.
He also warned that environmental degradation, from illegal mining to pollution, has real consequences on water, food security, public health, and long-term economic resilience.
“A circular economy model is not just an economic strategy, but a national resilience strategy.”
The choice, he says, is clear
Dr. Gyimah ended with a challenge to policymakers, businesses, and ordinary Ghanaians alike.
“The future of waste management in Ghana is not disposal. It is not landfilling. It is recovery. It is transformation. And it’s a value-creating industry.”
He urged a mental shift: from disposal to recovery, from waste management to resource management, from a linear system to a circular one.
“Ghana has the innovation capacity, the entrepreneurial spirit, and the human capacity to lead this transformation,” he said. “Not only in Ghana, but in Africa.”
“The question before us is not whether the circular economy is possible. The question is how quickly we are willing to make it a reality.”
The dialogue, which brought together climate actors from across the country, was organized by the Jospong Group of Companies, the Environmental Sanitation Consortium of Africa, Climate Communication and Local Governance Africa, and Metro TV.
