Maize farming communities often find themselves with an abundance of maize cobs, considered waste from the shelling or threshing process and typically burnt in the open air.

Again, drudgery accompanied with maize shelling is discouraging to would-be farmers.

The Technology Consultancy Centre of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology is therefore empowering maize farmers at Mfensi and Akrofonso communities in the Ashanti region of Ghana by building their capacities to repurpose these cobs into briquettes.

Apart from corn cob, rice husk and wood pieces were also used to produce biochar at Mfensi.

The communities have also been trained in the creation of effective tool for corn shelling to quell drudgery.

According to the Director-General of TCC-CIMET, Prof. Francis Davis, the move is meant to “transform what was once considered waste. The initiative extends the value chain of maize cobs, contributing to more sustainable practices and fostering a circular economy. Resulting briquettes can serve as clean energy cooking fuels.”

He added: “This approach not only promotes efficient energy utilization but also creates opportunities in sustainable building materials, contributing to both environmental conservation and employment generation.

The outreaches form part of activities to mark world Engineering Day which falls on March 4, 2024.

The hands-on workshops which were facilitated by Dr. Opoku Osei, Michael Commeh, Kenneth Donkor, Ms. Rhoda Dufie and Johnson Asante saw participants producing their own briquettes and corn shellers.

A beneficiary, Samuel Antwi, a welder, was optimistic the workshop will help generate additional source of income for him.

Another participant, Ellen Boatemaa from the Sekyere South District Assembly was hopeful the project will be extended to other communities.

About KNUST TCC-CIMET

TCC-CIMET, KNUST has been a leader in Africa's technology transfer, advanced manufacturing, engineering research, and technology entrepreneurship skill development for over the past 50 years. Since its establishment in 1972, the Centre has continuously adhered to its fundamental principles and integrated business process innovation to ensure sustainable operations.

In 2019, the UNESCO General Conference proclaimed that World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development would be celebrated annually on the 4th of March each year. As we are all aware, the theme for the 2024 World Engineering Day (WED24) has been captioned “Engineering Solutions for a Sustainable World”.

TCC-CIMET as a UNESCO Category II Centre and an institution of excellence in the field of engineering, is taking the initiative to organize activities that highlight the significance of this day. These activities will be executed in the form of webinars and seminars in line with UNESCO’s capacity-building efforts. This proposal provides an overview of the various activities that the Centre will be organizing and the scope of the work involved.