'10 Things' with Akyaa NKRUMAH of @GreenGhanaian



Q.   What do your friends call you?
A.    Akyaa

Q. Which age category best describes you?
A.     20-30

Q. Where were you born?
A.     I was born in Washington, DC. But I am a citizen of Ghana by parentage and I grew up in Kumasi.

Q. What do you do in your life?
A.     I am an environmental technologist. I believe in using technology to solve environmental problems. I specialize in sanitation.

Q.    The sanitation problems in Ghana are enormous. What has been your experience working in the sector?
A.     Working in sanitation in Ghana is challenging. Its very challenging. The needs are great and the biggest obstacle to progress is institutional failure and lack of political will to find permanent fixes to the sanitation challenges of Ghana's citizens. The problems are obvious and the solutions aren't so far from us but its infrastructural, its institutional. You can't have waste water treatment without a sewer system. You can't have regular garbage pick-up with poorly planned communities, bad roads and no landfills.

Q. So how do you cope with the challenges?
A.      Government has handed over some of its responsibilities to the private sector in admission of the challenges. This is an opportunity for experimentation and innovation if the private sector partner is progressive enough. Being the Innovations Manager of Jekora Ventures and also the Founder of the Green Ghanaian Initiative I get to be one of those progressive people that keeps pushing the envelope.

Q. What is one thing you would change if you were president of Ghana
A.     I would make state institutions functional and transparent.

Q. How did you get involved doing what you do right now – how did you    prepare?
A.     I studied environmental science and technology at the university and I have experience in waste and wastewater research as well as water and  sanitation consulting.

Q. Where can people find out more about you or what you do?
A.    About.me/akyaan and greenghanaian.com

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