Ghanaian business conglomerate, Jospong Group of Companies (JGC), is seeking international partnerships to expand its waste management operations across Africa as it participates in the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) in Antalya, Türkiye.

The Group is using the November 9-20 conference to showcase its waste management facilities and engage governments, investors and development institutions on opportunities to invest in sustainable waste management infrastructure.

COP31 has brought together leaders and representatives from 193 countries to discuss climate change, clean energy transition, climate financing and measures to address the effects of global warming.

The discussions are expected to focus on how countries will finance climate-related damage, accelerate the transition to clean energy and ensure that developed nations meet their financial commitments to developing countries.

Jospong's delegation is led by its Executive Chairman, Dr Joseph Siaw Agyepong, together with senior executives from its subsidiaries, including Zoomlion Ghana Limited, the Integrated Recycling and Compost Plant (IRECOP), Accra Compost and Recycling Plant (ACARP), and Asian African Consortium (AAC).

At its exhibition booth, the Group is promoting the messages, "Creating a Cleaner, Greener Africa" and "Scalable Waste Solutions for Growing Cities".

One of the major facilities being showcased is the Integrated Recycling and Compost Plant (IRECOP), which processes municipal solid waste through sorting, material recovery, recycling and compost production.

The facility is designed to reduce the volume of waste sent to landfills while recovering materials that can be reused and producing compost for agricultural purposes.

Jospong says the system can help address sanitation challenges, create jobs, attract private investment and reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with improper waste disposal.

The Group is engaging government officials, municipal authorities, development institutions and investors on the possibility of adopting the model in other countries.

Its participation in the conference comes as it pursues expansion plans covering nearly 30 African countries, including Nigeria, Kenya, Angola, Liberia, Guinea, The Gambia and Togo.

The Group is targeting countries facing growing waste volumes, inadequate disposal facilities and increasing pressure on existing sanitation infrastructure.

It is seeking partnerships and investment to establish integrated waste management facilities in these markets, with the expectation that the projects will improve sanitation and create employment opportunities.

Jospong is also looking to use its engagements at COP31 to secure business agreements with governments and international development partners to support the expansion of its environmental services.

The Group's participation follows earlier engagements at international climate conferences.

At COP28 in Dubai in 2023, a delegation led by Dr Agyepong engaged Switzerland's Federal Office for the Environment (BAFU), represented by Ambassador Felix Wertli.

The engagement involved a reported €20 million authorisation arrangement relating to internationally transferred mitigation outcomes (ITMOs) from the Group's integrated recycling and composting facilities.

The arrangement brought attention to the role waste management projects can play in carbon markets and international climate cooperation.

At COP31, Jospong is seeking to attract further international interest in its operations and promote the adoption of waste management solutions developed and operated by African businesses.

The Group's engagements are expected to focus on securing partnerships and investment to support waste management infrastructure development across the continent.





Story by Mawuli Ahorlumegah, reporting from the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP31, Antalya, Turkey