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Ernest Twum Barima makes coconut husk, plastic waste valuable
Realising the extent of waste pollution in his vicinity and the country at large, he thought of alternative ways to make good use the situation. He ended up creating a job for himself and a few others.
Here is Mr Ernest Twum Barima, the young university graduate, whose company produces smokeless and long-lasting charcoal briquettes from coconut husk.
The product, targeted at households and institutions, continues to earn positive review and commendation as the manufacturer intends to scale up production to meet local and international demand.
Business
Ernest is a graduate of Koforidua Technical University (KTU) and Valley View University. He studied Purchasing and Supply at KTU before proceeding to Valley View where he obtained Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) and Information Technology in Education Management.
He conceived the business idea while studying at Valley View University and decided to roll it out after many attempts to secure a job.
Throughout his educational journey, he had dreamt of establishing his own company and it is, therefore, not surprising that he has surmounted the hurdle.
Currently based at Kyebi-Afiesa in the Eastern Region, the venture known as Adepafie Market Company Limited, began when he procured and distributed 100 pieces of waste bins to encourage responsible waste disposal.
As time went by, he noticed the volume of waste generated daily by coconut vendors in his area and decided to conduct studies into unconventional uses of the discarded coconut husk.
“After I discovered other uses of the coconut husk, I gave empty sacks to the coconut sellers and asked them to offload the husks at my house at the end of every business day.
“My family initially could not come to terms with why I was turning our house into a dumpsite for coconut husk and even thought I had lost my mind,” he told The Spectator.
Unperturbed by these unsavoury comments, however, Ernest kept fine-tuning his idea until 2019, when he produced the first batch of charcoal briquettes to be used at home.
Community members, impressed with the outcome, subsequently encouraged him to start producing for commercial use.
Challenges
According to the initiator, steps towards commercialisation was challenging as he sought financial and technical assistance from some private entities but they failed to deliver on their promise after series of engagement with them.
Undauntedly, he relied on personal savings and the support of family and friends to get his idea off the ground. And with barely a year into his business, he has employed six people who are supporting him presently.
Apart from making charcoal briquettes, Ernest again recycles plastic waste into pavement bricks which, he said, could be a substitute for concrete blocks used in road construction.
Production process
Explaining the making of the charcoal briquettes, he said “the coconut husk is allowed to dry and later burnt and crushed into powder. The powder is then compacted with an organic binder, extruded and moulded into desired shapes and finally left to harden.”
He said he used to go through these processes manually but had now been able to build a makeshift machine which enables him to produce faster.
“I could produce only two bags of charcoal briquette in three days when there was no machine, but I am now able to produce about 10 bags in a day. The quality has improved and it is currently in high demand,” he said.
The charcoal briquette is packed in paper bags, made from plantain stem, and sold at GH 3.00 per Kilo.
The Chief Executive Officer says he has intended to reduce the price in future and has encouraged traditional charcoal producers to adopt his approach and stop cutting trees for charcoal production.
Future
In spite of the progress made, Ernest continues to fall on the support of family and friends to fund his operations.
“I could not meet the requests of my clients previously but I can now meet their need within a month with the little machine I use at the moment.
“I receive a lot of orders from across the country and if I get the needed support to expand production I know things would get better,” he noted.
The mini factory for the charcoal briquette, he said, was situated on a piece of family land, and he would require modern machines and vehicles to convey raw materials to help speed up production.
Although the company makes some profit, Ernest says the income generated goes into repayment of loans he has secured from family and friends.
With the required support, he intends to set up a bigger factory in Accra and Kumasi and employ more youth, should he get the needed support.
By Ernest Nutsugah
Minority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, says more than 15,000 Ghanaian workers have lost their jobs following a directive issued by the Chief of Staff.
According to him, the dismissals affected not only people employed after the 2024 general elections, as stated in the directive, but also workers who had been lawfully employed as far back as 2017.
Raising the issue on the floor of Parliament, Mr. Afenyo-Markin said the Minority uncovered evidence showing serious excesses in the implementation of the directive.
“We became aware that although the letter was specific to those recruited after the 2024 elections, Ghanaian youth who were employed as far back as 2017 were all dismissed from their lawful employment,” he said.
He explained that the Minority filed a motion in Parliament to investigate the matter, which was admitted by the Speaker. However, the process has faced several delays.
According to him, the Majority Leader raised a preliminary objection to the motion, which was upheld by the First Deputy Speaker. The Minority later filed a motion for review under the rules of Parliament, which was also admitted.
Mr. Afenyo-Markin said the review motion was moved by him and seconded by the Member of Parliament for Ofoasi- Ayirebi, while the Majority Chief Whip, Rockson Nelson Dafeamekpor , began the debate on behalf of the Majority side.
He noted that the House was expected to continue the debate the following Tuesday to allow the Speaker to rule on the matter, but this has not happened due to other parliamentary business.
“Several times the motion appeared on the Order Paper, but we could not take it,” he stated.
The Minority Leader stressed that the delay is having serious consequences for affected workers and their families.
“This is a matter that affects the livelihood of Ghanaians. We have in excess of 15,000 Ghanaian youths affected by this directive, and they are still at home,” he said.
He added that the Minister for Employment has acknowledged receiving petitions on the issue and has initiated investigations, but said that should not stop Parliament from carrying out its own inquiry.
“These Ghanaian youths are sitting at home. Their wives, their extended families are all affected. It has been over a year, and they are not getting any justice,” he added.
Mr. Afenyo-Markin appealed to the Leader of Government Business to ensure that the motion is included in Parliament’s report and debated to allow the House to make a final decision on the matter.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Director of Communications for the United Party, Solomon Owusu, has expressed strong disappointment following the Supreme Court decision to quash the rerun of the Kpandai parliamentary election.
Mr Owusu made his views known while reacting to the ruling, stressing that he would feel deeply disappointed if he were in the position of Matthew Nyindam, the current Member of Parliament for Kpandai.
He explained that the High Court had earlier examined the case in detail and arrived at a clear determination on the matter.
According to him, the High Court found that the election was compromised and that rigging took place with the involvement of the Electoral Commission.
Mr Owusu pointed out that when the New Patriotic Party moved the case to the Supreme Court, it did not challenge the substance of the High Court findings.
He stated that the appeal was based purely on a point of law, arguing that the National Democratic Congress was time barred when it went to court, and not that the alleged rigging did not occur.
In his view, this means that Mr Nyindam remains in Parliament through an election process that did not reflect the true will of the people of Kpandai.
Mr Owusu noted that this was why he had expected a rerun of the election, to allow the MP to return to the constituency and properly establish his authority through the ballot.
He explained that a rerun would have given Mr Nyindam the opportunity to prove that he genuinely won the 2024 parliamentary election.
With the rerun now quashed, Mr Owusu questioned how the MP could celebrate or take pride in the court outcome.
He stressed that he would no longer take contributions made by Mr Nyindam in Parliament seriously, as the legitimacy of his mandate remains questionable in his view.
Mr Owusu further argued that the Supreme Court decision has shortchanged the people of Kpandai.
He described the ruling as unfair to voters who woke up early on election day, queued patiently, and voted for a candidate of their choice, only for their will to be undermined.
According to him, the outcome raises serious concerns about justice, electoral credibility, and respect for the democratic rights of the people.
By: Jacob Aggrey
