News
Africa moving towards circular economy …Ghana included
• Large Lego blocks used for modular
The circular economy progresses in Africa and old traditions now serve a sustainable future.
Finnish companies boost positive development – and come across surprises along the way.
To build affordable, ecological houses that last a hundred years. To use recycled materials as raw materials and to create jobs and new business.
The vision of the Ylöjärvi-based company Block Solutions sounds almost like a circular economy utopia. Still, it is realistic.
“There is a shortfall of 50 million apartments in Africa and shocking amounts of difficult-to-recycle polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic waste everywhere. We put it to good use,” Mr. Markus Silfverberg, the founder of Block Solutions said.
The company has developed an injection moulding technique for manufacturing building modules that look like large Lego blocks and are made of recycled plastic and organic fibre, an industrial by-product. With a rubber mallet and a ring spanner, anyone can build a 50-square-metre house.
However, what the company sells to Africa is not modules or houses but factories. The first modules outside Finland were manufactured in Accra, Ghana, in April 2022. Now, production has also been launched in Egypt and Indonesia.
“Exporting building modules from Finland would not be sustainable. That is why production must be local,” Mr. Silfverberg said.
The company’s point is to use local raw materials. There will be no lack of them – plastic bottles and other plastic waste are known to be a difficult environmental problem throughout Africa. Co-operation is being initiated with Danone and many other companies using plastic packaging.
In addition to plastic, the company has used sugarcane, rice husk, hemp, bamboo and various sustainably grown tree species, among other things, as the modules’ raw materials.
By Jussi Laitinen
[The writer (Jussi Laitinen) is an award-winning author, journalist and communications expert in Finland]
President John Dramani Mahama has arrived in Libreville, Gabon, to participate in the inaugural Libreville International Forum for Innovation and Development, a high-level event that brings together Heads of State, government officials, global investors, and technology experts.
The forum, being held under the patronage of Mr Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, President of the Republic of Gabon, is on the theme “Political Stability, Business Climate, and Artificial Intelligence: Catalysts for Growth.”
The forum seeks to position Gabon as a regional innovation hub and key destination for international investment.
Organisers are holding the Forum to inaugurate the newly constructed Omar Bongo Ondimba Congress Centre, which also serves as the venue for the Forum and as a future centre for international dialogue.
The forum will culminate in the “Libreville Declaration,” which will showcase the strategic political leaders’ commitments to enhancing governance, transparency, and digital integration across the continent.
President Mahama remains a strong advocate for fostering partnerships that bridge the gap between government policy and private-sector growth to ensure inclusive development.
Former Energy Minister Boakye Agyarko has informed the New Patriotic Party’s 2028 flagbearer, Mahamudu Bawumia, of his decision to contest for the position of National Chairman of the party.
Mr. Agyarko disclosed this during a courtesy call on Dr. Bawumia on May Day.
According to a statement from his team, the visit gave him the opportunity to commend the former Vice President for his service to both the New Patriotic Party and the country.
During the meeting, Mr. Agyarko, together with members of his campaign team, formally notified Dr. Bawumia of his planned nationwide tour as part of his campaign for the National Chairman position.
He reaffirmed his support for the former Vice President and stressed the need for unity within the party ahead of the 2028 general elections.
Mr. Agyarko said the NPP must remain united and committed to securing victory in the next elections.
According to the statement, his nationwide tour is expected to begin in the Ashanti Region next week.
By: Jacob Aggrey
