By Murtala Issah
The University for Development Studies (UDS) is collaborating with academic institutions across Africa and Europe to develop postgraduate programmes aimed at addressing waste management challenges in West Africa.
The initiative is expected to equip students with practical skills in waste reduction, recycling and the sustainable management of waste.
The UDS Energy Technology Centre hosted lecturers and researchers from Ghana, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Italy, Portugal and Romania for a four-day workshop in Tamale from 5th to 8th October 2026.
The workshop forms part of the European Union co-funded WARM Project, which seeks to promote waste reduction and management mechanisms.
The project, coordinated by Dr. Hilla Limann Technical University, brings together ten institutions to strengthen waste management education and research in the sub-region.
According to the Vice Chancellor of the University for Business and Integrated Development Studies (UBIDS), Professor Hamidatu Saaka Darimani, “we have a big issue when it comes to waste. Our governments are doing their best, but we still think that the technical expertise is really lacking.”
The Vice Chancellor is of the view that, if many people really have the technical expertise of handling waste, the problem would be solved.”
“if we leave the effort to only one group, it’s going to be a challenging thing. So, we are developing an MSc curriculum to come out with an innovative curriculum that will have practical emphasis very much in this particular program. A lot of us don’t even know how to handle waste, we just collect the polythene bags, dump them anywhere, collect the waste, and throw it anywhere because we don’t know what to do with it. If we know that this waste can be transformed into money, then people will start looking at waste as a resource and not as a problem.” He said
Under the initiative, the UDS Energy Technology Centre of the UDS, is expected to develop a practical, hands-on Master of Science curriculum in waste management. The Centre will also benefit from new laboratory equipment to enhance student training and research.
The Head of the Energy Technology Centre, Dr. Imoro Zarouk, described the partnership as “crucial to Ghana’s efforts to build an economy which addresses the problem of waste in the country.”
As part of the workshop, participants visited the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly‘s Waste Department, recycling facilities and the Gbalahi landfill site to observe waste management practices and challenges in the metropolis.
The experience is expected to inform the development of a curriculum that responds to the practical realities of waste management in West Africa.
The initiative is also expected to strengthen collaboration between African and European institutions in building the expertise needed to promote sustainable waste management and a circular economy.
