In January we covered the commissioning and handing over ceremony of a Integrated Biodigester (IBD) plant at Umar Bun Hatab Islamic Basic School at Madina Zongo, by CSIR, Lancaster University and other partners. Five students from Umar Bun Hatab Islamic basic school followed on with written articles to express their appreciation for the ACTUATE project and the work they’ve done at the school. These articles were featured by TheNewGh.com in a recent article and shared information on the ACTUATE project and thoughts from the students.
The five students Gator Francis, Daniel Adenyo, Munira Obanga, Naima Abdul Rauf, and Firdaus Abdul Samed all JHS 2 students of the school, demonstrated their understanding of the project in simple but well written articles, highlighting the benefits to the school and the community at large.
Gator Francis wrote, “The Government must educate the people on the adverse effects of pollution, such as skin and respiratory diseases so that communities will change their attitudes, which the ACTUATE project promotes”
Daniel Adenyo wrote, “The digester will be fed with green waste such as food waste from various households. The gas produced from the biodigester will be used in the science laboratory for experiments. This will enhance our understanding in science and generate our interest in scientific research amongst others”
Munira Obanga wrote, “ACTUATE has made us realise that empty bottles and purewater sachets can also be recycled for other purposes which can also be useful to the community in Madina Zongo.”
Naima Abdul Rauf wrote, “I am very grateful to ACTUATE and its partners, Lancaster University, HATOF Foundation, University of Benin, CSIR-Ghana and Green Advocacy Ghana, who have done a great job in my school and the community”
Firdaus Abdul Samed wrote, “The system implemented by ACTUATE makes it possible for organic material from the school and community to be fed into the digester to produce energy for use in a science laboratory and digestate as fertiliser for our land”
The Integrated Biodigester which was designed and constructed by CSIR-IRR is the first of its kind in Ghana, unique in the use of local materials and it’s design to fit into a limited available space in the school. Umar Bun Hatab school uses the biofertilizer to improve and “green” its environment, while the gas supplies demonstrate the use of biogas in cooking and lighting. The development of the treament plant has been supported by the ACTUATE project, funded by the GCRF-EPSRC Global Research Translation Award linked to the RECIRCULATE project, also funded by GCRF.
