Ghana urged to scale biodigesters for waste-to-energy and carbon finance

Ghana could cut sanitation risks and produce biogas at the same time by scaling up biodigester technology, according to John Idan, CEO of Biogas Technologies Africa. He pointed to a biodigester installed at Jubilee House in 2007 that is still operating, plus installations at the International Maritime Hospital in Tema and a Ghana Navy base in the Western region. The units treat human waste without oxygen and produce gas that can be used for cooking or other energy needs. Idan also made the case for carbon finance. He said an African Development Bank carbon-credit arrangement could support biodigester projects, though the naval base installation was too small to qualify. That highlights a common problem: individual waste-to-energy sites are often below the minimum size for credit programs, so project developers may need to aggregate multiple sites or find other ways to stack environmental benefits. Wider adoption depends on investment, proper system sizing, and regular maintenance. For Ghana, the near-term win is avoiding sewage exposure during floods while displacing fuel used for cooking. The carbon angle can help pay for it, but only if the measurement and verification rules are clear enough for buyers to trust the credits.