The concession contract between Capegate Investment Company and the Kano State Government was signed on May 21st, 2021. The company is thus awarded the delegated management of solid and liquid waste in the northern Nigerian state. Under its new contract, Capegate Investment Company will manage the Kano waste treatment plant and other related facilities.
“Kano’s environment will change to become cleaner and more liveable over the next 24 months,” says Alhaji Bashir, managing director of Capegate Investment Company. The private company will deploy 30 trucks, 32 compactors, 36 mini-trucks and other equipment for solid waste collection in Kano. Capegate Investment Company will also set up two central sewers to collect liquid and industrial waste. The Abuja-based company is thus supporting the Refuse Management and Sanitation Board (Remsab). The state-owned company in charge of waste disposal in Kano will serve as the supervisory body and the Nigerian Ministry of Environment as the regulatory body.
Turning organic waste into electricity
According to Remsab, Kano State alone produces 96,000 tonnes of waste per year. Capegate Investment Company will convert this collected waste into electricity via biogas. The biogas from the fermentation of the organic waste will be used to power a power plant, the capacity of which has not been disclosed. The electricity produced will be fed into the Kano State grid.
Capegate Investment Company also plans to compost the organic waste and use it as fertiliser in plantations. The concession granted to the Nigerian company will create jobs for at least 4,300 young people who will be involved in waste management in Kano.
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In addition to reducing pollution, the local government wants to diversify its electricity mix with renewable energy. At the beginning of May 2021, the British company Konexa signed a partnership with Kano State Electricity Distribution Company (Kedco) and the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) for the deployment of renewable energy in Kano State. Konexa intends to reinforce Kedco’s network with 10 MW of power by 2022.
Inès Magoum