Written By: Faith Jemosop
Africa faces a dual crisis, a mounting waste problem and chronic electricity shortages. Waste-to-energy (WtE) technology could be the game changing solution to both if the continent is ready to harness it.
Every year, Africa generates over 125 million tonnes of solid waste, a figure expected to double by 2025, according to the World Bank. Simultaneously, more than 600 million Africans still lack access to electricity. These twin challenges, growing waste and energy poverty could be tackled together through the deployment of waste-to-energy systems.
Across the continent, experts and governments are now asking: Can we turn our trash into treasure and use it to light up our homes, schools, and industries?
Africa’s Waste Crisis and Power Deficit: A Dangerous Convergence
The statistics are stark. Africa is urbanizing faster than any other continent, and with that comes an avalanche of waste. In many cities, up to 70% of generated waste is organic, while less than 10% is formally recycled. Landfills and open dumpsites, especially in cities like Lagos, Nairobi, and Kinshasa, are rapidly filling up and often unmanaged, posing major public health and environmental risks.
Meanwhile, the continent’s energy demand is skyrocketing, with many countries unable to meet it. In Sub-Saharan Africa, electricity access stands at around 47%, and in rural areas, that number falls below 25%. Frequent blackouts and unreliable grids hinder industrial growth, education, and healthcare services.
Waste-to-energy offers a promising two-birds-one-stone solution converting municipal solid waste (MSW) into electricity and heat while simultaneously cleaning up the environment.
What Is Waste-to-Energy, and How Does It Work?
Waste-to-energy refers to a range of technologies that generate usable energy, usually electricity or heat from waste. The key methods include:
- Incineration: Burning waste to produce steam, which turns turbines to generate power.
- Anaerobic digestion: Decomposing organic matter in oxygen-free environments to produce biogas.
- Gasification and pyrolysis: Heating waste in limited oxygen to create synthetic gas, oils, and other fuels.
The appeal is simple, instead of burying waste in landfills or burning it in open air (which releases toxic fumes), WtE systems process it in controlled environments, reducing emissions, recovering energy, and often producing useful by-products like ash for road construction.
A Continent Rich in Waste Resources
Africa’s waste composition presents a unique opportunity for WtE development. Most urban waste is biodegradable, making it ideal for anaerobic digestion and biogas production. This could directly support cooking energy needs in rural areas and provide electricity to off-grid communities.
Estimates suggest that Africa’s solid waste, if effectively harnessed, could generate electricity for 20–30 million households per year. That’s not just theory. Real-world case studies prove that it’s already happening—on a small scale.
How African Nations Are Leading the Way
Ethiopia’s Reppie Plant, Pioneering Urban Waste Power
Opened in 2018, the Reppie Waste-to-Energy plant in Addis Ababa was the first of its kind in Africa. The facility:
- Processes 1,400 tonnes of waste daily
- Supplies electricity to over 30% of the city’s households
- Reduces landfill use by nearly 80%
Despite political delays and maintenance hiccups, Reppie demonstrated that WtE can work in African conditions turning one city’s biggest problem into a key part of its energy infrastructure.
South Africa’s Durban Landfill-to-Gas Project
South Africa’s Durban Solid Waste Department runs a project capturing methane from landfill sites and converting it to electricity. The program:
- Generates 7 MW of power
- Prevents 350,000 tonnes of CO₂-equivalent emissions annually
- Supplies energy to local grids and city operations
Durban’s initiative also highlights how cities can reduce climate emissions while improving energy security.
Rwanda’s Biogas Innovation
Rwanda has introduced biogas systems in prisons, schools, and public institutions, converting human and food waste into fuel for cooking and heating. These systems:
- Cut down firewood usage
- Save the government hundreds of thousands of dollars annually
- Reduce indoor air pollution and deforestation
What’s Holding Africa Back?
Despite the promise, WtE has not yet taken off continent-wide. Several structural and economic barriers stand in the way:
1. High Capital Costs
Building a WtE plant requires significant upfront investment. For example, Ethiopia’s Reppie plant cost over $120 million. Many African governments lack the financial bandwidth or creditworthiness to fund such projects alone.
2. Weak Policy Frameworks
Few African countries have national strategies or regulatory frameworks specifically supporting WtE. There are no feed-in tariffs in most regions to incentivize energy utilities to purchase WtE-generated power.
3. Technical and Operational Gaps
Africa faces a shortage of trained engineers and technicians who can build and maintain complex WtE systems. Additionally, poor waste segregation and collection systems make it difficult to get high-quality feedstock.
4. Community Resistance and Misconceptions
Local communities often oppose WtE projects, fearing pollution, odor, or displacement. Without public education and proper emissions controls, WtE plants can face social resistance.
Also read: KenGen to Add 800 MW of Geothermal Energy Boosting Kenya’s Green Future
Unlocking Africa’s Waste-to-Energy Potential
To scale waste-to-energy across the continent, the following steps are essential:
1. Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs)
Governments must collaborate with private investors to share risk. International development banks like the African Development Bank (AfDB), World Bank, and EU Green Energy Facility can provide blended finance models.
2. Policy and Regulatory Reform
Governments need to adopt:
- Renewable energy targets that include WtE
- Subsidies or tariffs for waste-derived electricity
- Strong waste collection policies with enforced segregation at the source
3. Local Skills and Innovation
African universities, polytechnics, and vocational schools must train a new generation of bioenergy engineers, waste technicians, and sustainability officers. South-South partnerships with countries like India can transfer affordable, context-relevant technology.
4. A Circular Economy Approach
WtE must be part of a broader circular economy strategy. This means maximizing the recovery of materials (like metals and plastics) and integrating informal waste pickers into formal systems. That way, both energy and economic livelihoods are sustainably enhanced.
Waste-to-Energy and the Climate Change Equation
WtE is also a powerful climate solution. By reducing the volume of waste in landfills, it cuts methane emissions, which are 84 times more potent than CO₂ over a 20-year period. Furthermore, WtE reduces the need for diesel generators and biomass burning, two major sources of emissions and air pollution in Africa.
Projects like the Durban landfill gas plant show how carbon finance mechanisms (e.g., through the Clean Development Mechanism or voluntary carbon markets) can fund sustainable energy systems while reducing greenhouse gases.
Also read: How Bitcoin Mining Is Powering Kenya’s Green Energy Revolution
Waste Is Africa’s Hidden Energy Goldmine
The potential of waste-to-energy in Africa is not just about power, it’s about redefining waste as a resource, creating green jobs, improving public health, and powering economic growth.
However, it won’t happen automatically. It requires:
- Bold policy action
- Financial innovation
- Public trust
- Localized solutions
With the right strategy, waste-to-energy can be a cornerstone of Africa’s just energy transition, offering cleaner cities, lower emissions, and greater energy independence.
Africa cannot afford to keep dumping away its future. The trash piling up in its cities is not just a threat, it’s also the most overlooked energy solution of our time.
