Compost Production – Cohort II

Compost production is the deliberate, managed conversion of organic waste; crop residues, livestock manure, market trimmings, agro-industrial by-products and food scraps into a stable, nutrient-rich, humus-like material that improves soil health and supports sustainable crop production. Unlike the passive rotting that occurs on a rubbish heap behind a market or on the floor of an untended farm, composting is a deliberate biological process guided by the composter’s decisions on feedstock selection, carbon-to-nitrogen balance, moisture, aeration and temperature. When these conditions are correctly managed, communities of bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes transform bulky, unstable organic matter into a fine, dark, earthy-smelling product commonly described as « black gold » safe for crops, free of pathogens and weed seeds, and rich in the slow-release nutrients and humus that Ghanaian soils have been losing for decades.

Ready to Turn Waste into Wealth? Join Us.

Somewhere in your community, behind a market stall in Kejetia, at the back of a gari mill in Ho, under the mango tree at your family compound, organic waste is quietly rotting into a problem. What if you could turn that same waste into a product farmers will pay you good cedis for? What if the « rubbish » your neighbours can’t wait to burn could become the foundation of a business you own, a soil-improvement solution your community respects, and a livelihood that pays every month?

The Nkabom Collaborative – UESD wants to teach you how. Over the coming weeks, we will take you from your very first handful of soil to your first bagged, labelled, priced 25 kg bag of Akuafo Black Gold ready for market. You will learn the science, get your hands dirty in the practical production, master the business skills to price and sell what you produce, and leave with a Certificate of Participation that opens doors with banks, with agro-dealers, with commercial farms.

This training is for you if:

• You are below the age of 35
• You are a smallholder farmer tired of watching your yields fall while fertiliser prices climb
• You are a youth or graduate looking for a real business you can start with modest capital
• You are an agripreneur or agro-dealer who wants to add compost to your product line
• You are an extension officer, NGO field staff, or MMDA waste officer wanting to bring composting to your district
• You are a school, church or community group ready to turn your organic waste into income
• You are simply curious about what « black gold » is and why everyone from AGRA to your local chief is talking about it

No prior experience is needed. Just a willingness to learn, work, and build.

Ghana’s soils are calling. Our markets are overflowing. The opportunity has never been clearer, and the moment has never been better. Bring your questions, bring your ideas, bring your ambition, we will bring the knowledge, the tools, the practical experience, and the network.

Apply today. Your compost pile and your future business starts now.

Register your interest with the Nkabom Collaborative at UESD, Somanya.
There is no waste. Only material in the wrong place. Let us help you put it in the right one.

Location: University of Environment and Sustainable Development – Somanya
Dates: 21st – 30th September, 2026