The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is to work in partnership with Zeal Environmental Technologies to help efficiently operationalise EPA’s established laboratory in Takoradi to serve the petroleum industry.
“Zeal has the skill, knowledge and requisite machinery to deal with environmental protection issues – particularly in waste management as per oil waste, water waste among others, hence the need for this partnership,” said Dr. Henry Kwabena Kokofu, Executive Director of EPA.
Dr. Kokofu said this during a working visit with a delegation from the EPA office to Zeal Environmental Technologies, an indigenous oil and industrial waste management giant at Nyankrom in the Shama district of the Western Region.
The visit was in line with the EPA’s mandate to safeguard and protect the environment.
“I am impressed to be here; I have read and heard about Zeal, but having come down myself and then witnessing what is being done, I am very much impressed. All is not lost in Ghana’s quest to have a resilient, well-protected environment,” he pointed out.
According to him, “We have shared some ideas and identified some areas where Zeal is already on top of issues. We have asked for collaborations with the EPA office in Takoradi and the headquarters”.
Going forward, he mentioned that EPA has arranged for a more technical meeting that will operationalise all that has been discussed and agreed on.
“The laboratory is underutilized, and Zeal has identified ways to help us make it work efficiently. Laboratory work is so key and it is at the centre of waste management issues, particularly such a highly technical area as oil waste,” he noted.
Dr. Kokofu said Zeal Environmental Technology is the model example of a Local Content success story that must be encouraged by all, especially those in the petrochemical industry.
“Zeal is an example of the local company anticipated in the Local Participation and Local Content Law passed to advance the economy. Regrettably, we do not have much of such on the horizon, but Zeal has shown the way. A purely indigenous company with all that it takes – state-of-the-art technology and skilled labour, all being Ghanaians – to provide waste management services. So, we encourage Zeal to go ahead and do more; especially not doing it alone, but trying to bring along some of the small indigenous companies to up their competences,” he added.
Mr. Kweku Ennin, Chief Executive of Zeal Environmental Technologies – who led the EPA delegation around the plant at Nyankrom, welcomed the partnership.
“Zeal is already collaborating with the EPA and other institutions such as the University of Cape-Coast, among others committed to pushing the frontiers of oil and industrial waste management in Ghana,” he said.
He said Zeal, in addition to its current underutilised capacity, is even upgrading with the installation of a new incinerator that has a capacity of 1000 kg and which can run for 24 hours.
“The incinerator is expected to be operational by mid-2021, and will help Zeal serve more clients in the petroleum sector, mining industry among others, at a lesser cost,” he added.
He mentioned that items which can be incinerated include hazardous waste, medical waste, chemical sacks, expired chemicals, narcotics, and unwholesome foods confiscated by the FDA, GRA and other regulatory bodies.
