The ZERI Foundation has been requested by UNDP to assist the Government of The
Gambia to design a sustainable development strategy based on the waste
streams,
which are perceived in the country as waste. Over the next 18 months, ZERI
teams
are expected to visit each African nation, in order to design a strategy. The
compilation of these reports will represent an innovate vision and a major
action
plan on "how to do development differently", as has been requested by Mrs.
Thelma
Awori, Assistant Administrator UNDP and Director of the Regional Bureau for
Africa.
The main waste streams which have been identified as possible engines for
poverty
eradication and sustainable human development are:
1. peanut shells
2. spent grain from the brewery
3. oyster shells
The peanut shells and spent grain are dried and mixed to serve as a substrate
for mushroom farming. The tests have been initiated at the University of
Namibia
(Windhoek) and the Africa University (Mutare, Zimbabwe). These test provided
most encouraging results. The University of Addis Ababa will provide the
training
expertise, since it has experience in introducing the mushroom farming to
homeless
teenagers in Ethiopia. A training manual has been prepared, and was funded by
the German Technical Co-operation Agency (GTZ).
The brewery, which is controlled by a German group, has already made public
its
intention to manage the waste along the ZERI principles. The spent grain could
thus become an engine for local development, instead of remaining a pollutant.
The oysters are a major source of protein for the people. Whereas oysters are
a delicacy in most countries, here it is a a staple food. The shells are
wasted.
Recently these shells are partly collected and crushed to serve as a basis for
roads. Though, a more value added approach would be welcomed. In Norway and
the
USA, shells are used to extract kitin, an inert material used for hospital
equipment.
<snip>
Anders Karlsson
ZERI Foundation
http://www.zeri.org