The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Ghana is partnering a number of Universities to research and identify ways of ensuring safer circular water economy.

The project which has triggered research in water for sanitation and health, water for food production, water for energy production, and water, pathogens and health is part of Lancaster University’s flagship programme RECIRCULATE which is geared towards moving research and innovation to implementing community-driven eco-innovative solutions as part of efforts to achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

RECIRCULATE is a collaborative project initiative by Lancaster University which has grown over the years as a result of the University’s’ long-standing close interactions with partners in sub-Saharan Africa through its Centre for Global Eco-Innovation (CGE). The programme is funded by Research Councils, UK through the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) which is focused on growing research capability to meet the challenges faced by developing countries.

The partnership will see CSIR-IIR working with Lancaster University, UK and core research partners which include Lancaster University Ghana (LU Ghana), University of Benin (Nigeria), Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST), African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS, Kenya),Malawi National Commission for Science and Technology (NCST), and Copperbelt University (Zambia).

The RECIRCULATE programme currently running is hinged on three mutually dependent and synergistic pillars. The first being research pillar is the consideration for skilled, well-trained individuals and well-founded organisations that are fully integrated with their international peer networks. The second is the eco-innovation pillar comprises the innovators and entrepreneurs, individuals or organisations, who actually deliver ‘smart solutions’ as products, technologies, services or practices that can be used to support positive environmental benefits.

The third, community pillar is the capacity of the wider society/community, and probably a relatively small group of change makers within communities to inform and be informed by the first 2 pillars for implementation of the ‘smart solutions’ that can deliver the SDGs.

To further consolidate project gains, the programme comprises of five interlinked work-packages (WPs) set to empower partners to deliver high quality research and innovation. Each WP is framed around specific objectives that are designed to work together to contribute to the overall objectives of the project, infuse some flexibility to allow research approaches to be refined and developed over the project lifecycle in response to the needs of partners and research challenges. The work-packages include Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Water for Sanitation and Health, Water for food production, Water for energy production and Water: pathogens and health.

The 5-year project in Ghana, involves institutions such as Institute of Industrial Research (IIR), Water Research Institute and Crop Research Institute. The aforementioned institutions are currently manning specific projects at Madina Zongo and Gbegbeyise in the Greater Accra Region and Fumesua in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. It is expected that the project will end in 2022 after which a project impact assessment will be done to evaluate the entire project.