By Paul Benie.
Ghana’s farmers are battling rising costs of imported fertilisers, even as our soils grow weaker and our food import bill keeps climbing. Each year, we spend hundreds of millions of dollars bringing in fertilisers, yet the smallholder farmer in Bibiani or Tamale often cannot afford enough to boost yields.
At the same time, mountains of agricultural waste—coconut husks, maize stalks, and even human waste—are discarded daily across the country. What if the solution to our fertiliser crisis is hidden in the very waste we throw away? I believe Ghana can lead a new green revolution by producing eco-friendly fertiliser made from coconut husk ash, maize stalks, and sanitised human urine. It is simple, affordable, and scalable. More importantly, it is made in Ghana, for Ghana.
Why Waste is the Answer
Imported chemical fertilisers are expensive, often in short supply, and come with
environmental costs. But nature already gives us the raw materials we need: • Coconut husk ash is rich in potassium, which strengthens crops. • Maize stalks, when composted, improve soil structure and water retention. • Human urine, safely sanitised with ash or lime, provides nitrogen and phosphorus—nutrients our soils desperately need.
Individually, these wastes may look useless. Together, they form a balanced NPK fertiliser—the same nutrient mix farmers buy in expensive bags of imported NPK.
How It Works
The process is simple: 1. Burn coconut husks to ash. 2. Chop and dry maize stalks. 3. Sanitise urine by mixing 1 part ash/lime with 10 parts urine and storing for two weeks. 4. Compost all three materials in a pit, turning weekly. After 4–6 weeks, the result is a dark, crumbly, odour-free fertiliser ready for the farm.
Why Leaders Must Pay Attention
This approach is not just about farming. It is about: millions in foreign exchange. Reducing fertiliser imports and saving Creating local jobs through waste-to-fertiliser hubs. Improving sanitation, since urine and crop residues are no longer treated as waste. Empowering smallholder farmers with affordable fertiliser. Promoting food security, one of Ghana’s biggest national challenges.
A Call to Action
Through my enterprise, PB-Evergreen, my vision is to turn this innovation into reality by: •
Setting up community composting hubs where farmers and youth transform waste into
fertiliser. • Training young people in eco-fertiliser production as a new path in agribusiness. •Partnering with government, NGOs, and universities to refine, package, and distribute this
fertiliser nationwide.
But for this to happen, we need leaders bold enough to support
homegrown innovation. Instead of spending scarce foreign exchange on chemical fertilisers
every year, Ghana can invest in local, sustainable solutions that deliver lasting value.
Conclusion
The fertiliser Ghana needs is not sitting in a ship waiting at Tema Harbour—it is already in our farms, our kitchens, and even our sanitation systems. By turning coconut husks, maize stalks, and urine into eco-fertiliser, we can feed ourselves, reduce imports, and create green jobs.
This is my appeal to Ghana’s policymakers, private sector leaders, and community stakeholders: support local innovation. Ghana’s future food security depends not on how much aid we receive, but on how smartly we use what we already have. The time to act is now. Waste is no longer waste—it is the fertiliser of Ghana’s future.
