Through observation skills and an innate interest in understanding the science behind things, Ghanaian entrepreneur Akwasi Osei-Bobie Ansah found the building blocks for a profitable business idea.
“I heard farmers talking about declining yields, even with excessive use of inorganic fertilisers. As I had a science background, I figured the soil might be acidic; so irrespective of the amount of inorganic fertiliser used, they would not get the desired results and it would further deteriorate the soil,” Ansah says.
Ansah had obtained a teaching degree after school but was always more interested in agriculture. Back home in the village where his parents had their fields, he had observed higher crop yields in areas where cocoa shells were left to decompose. He realised that this waste product from Ghana’s biggest export product could be channelled into making an organic compost or fertiliser.
In 2009, while working at the National Board for Small Scale Industries (a government agency in Ghana) as part of his national service, he pitched this idea at a World Bank competition looking at innovative ways to manage waste.