Two Lancaster University academics are joining their Ghanaian partners to highlight how green finance could impact on innovation in the waste-energy-food sectors at a COP26 side event.

Professor Kirk Semple and Dr Akanimo Odon will be talking about their experience with the UK Government’s Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) at the event, which is taking place in the Africa Pavilion at the world climate conference in Glasgow.

Both researchers are involved in the GCRF funded ACTUATE project, which is delivering two community-based demonstration anaerobic digestion systems in Ghana and Nigeria, which create energy from waste. As well as providing electricity, the digesters improve sanitation and provide sustainable fertiliser from crops, all of which has emerged from the research done for the larger RECIRCULATE project.

The green finance session is led by Mr Samuel Confidence Dotse, CEO of the HATOF Foundation of Ghana, a partner in ACTUATE. HATOF is led by young professionals and fosters collaboration between government, the private sector, researchers to overcome environmental challenges.

Professor Semple said that the Lancaster University presentation will explore how the GCRF investment is helping to mobilise resources and future funding, from both the public and the private sectors, to encourage eco-innovation and create a more circular, sustainable economy in West Africa.

Bioenergy through anaerobic digestion has the potential to improve waste management and reduce CO₂ (carbon dioxide) and CH₄ (methane) emissions, he said, and to encourage a move away from reliance on oil and gas and biomass, which leads to deforestation.

Mobilising Green Finance to catalyse Climate Action: Lessons from multilateral and bilateral funds, is taking place at 3pm on Saturday 6 November in Multimedia Studio 3 in the African Pavilion at COP26.

The session includes speakers from the Ghanian Ministries of Finance and the Environment, and from the Ghanian Forestry Commission and Environmental Protection Agency.