St Augustine's College has emerged as the winner of the 2026 Catholic SHS/SHTS/TVET Plastic Waste Management Competition for the Southern Belt, after scoring 77 percent in the contest held in Accra.

Archbishop Porter Girls Senior High School placed second with 62 percent, while St Thomas Aquinas Senior High School finished third with 53.3 percent.

The competition, organised for Catholic second-cycle institutions by the Catholic Schools Ghana in collaboration with the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) Ghana office, is divided into two zones, the Northern and Southern belts.

The Southern Belt comprises schools from the Greater Accra, Volta, Oti, Western and Central regions.

Participating schools included St Augustine's College, Bishop Herman College, Archbishop Porter Girls Senior High School, Holy Child Girls Senior High School, St Gregory Senior High School, Father Dogli Memorial Technical Institute and St Thomas Aquinas Senior High School.

KAS Ghana Holds STEM Plastic Waste Competition for Catholic Schools in the Middle Sector


The initiative challenges students to develop innovative and practical solutions to plastic waste management while promoting environmental sustainability.

Speaking at the event on July 10, 2026, the Country Representative of Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) Ghana, Anna Lena Sabroso Wasserfall, said civic education remains a key pillar of the foundation's work, making environmental education an important area of focus.

She noted that recent flooding in Accra and other parts of the country underscores the growing threat posed by plastic waste and highlights the need to educate young people on responsible waste management.

According to her, KAS deliberately partners Catholic schools because young people are more receptive to environmental values and are better positioned to adopt sustainable practices that can influence their communities.

Wasserfall said the competition, now in its third consecutive year, has witnessed remarkable growth in the quality of students' innovations. She observed that while earlier editions focused largely on recycling plastic into products such as bricks and furniture, recent projects have become more technology-driven, reflecting increasing interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

She reaffirmed KAS Ghana's commitment to supporting environmental education initiatives and nurturing innovative ideas that contribute to effective waste management and environmental protection.

The General Manager of Catholic Schools, Francis Batadjon, also commended the students for their creativity and commitment.

He described the competition as "thought-provoking," saying it encourages students to think critically and develop practical solutions to environmental challenges.

Batadjon recalled that in a previous edition, students successfully produced plastic chairs and tables that were durable enough for everyday use and exhibition, demonstrating the commercial potential of such innovations.

He expressed the hope that entrepreneurs, manufacturers and other stakeholders in the plastics industry would partner with participating schools to provide financial support and help scale up promising projects into viable enterprises.

He further urged students to see the competition as more than an opportunity to win prizes, stressing that its ultimate goal is to inspire positive behavioural change towards plastic waste management.





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