The Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), in partnership with project partners: Unternehmer Baden-Württemberg (UBW), Arqum, KNUST and Sequa held its first Environmental Sustainability Cluster meeting at the Coconut Groove Regency Hotel in Accra following the official launch of the project at 2022 Kick-off Conference.

As part of the overall purpose of the project, the cluster meetings will seek to support Ghanaian Industries by improving sustainability-competitiveness as well as the working conditions of all well-trained workers. As such, project partners deem it essential for an increase in collaborations between partners and companies of the large network.

At the helm of affairs were facilitators comprising sustainability consultants/Arqum- Felix Nagl and Gina Ditzen. Professor Dr. -Ing. Axel Sikora and Internship Coordinator Juaben Oil Mills Ltd.- Richmond Nubuor also addressed the meeting on industrial digitalisation and internship opportunities respectively.

Detailing how the cluster meetings as a mechanism will help protect the environment from harmful practices, Arqum sustainability consultant- Felix Nagl said two pillars of sustainability have been adopted to achieve the project’s goals. That is, “Striving for the capacities that reinforce organisational structures in the networks, especially in the working groups. In addition, it will also improve the value and supply chains all in a social environmentally sustainable framework.

The pillars of sustainability cluster meetings are also in keeping with the UN SDGs goals on how countries and businesses can be effectively sustainable.
Guest speaker Professor Dr. -Ing. Axel Sikora of the Offenburg University of Applied Sciences in Germany in delivering his address on how “Digitalisation in the value chain – internet of things (IoT)” helps to keep things sustainable said the current Industrial Revolution is heavily reliant on intelligence and connectivity through digitalization.

He further explained saying the evolution of industrialisation has gone through various faces however Ghana is still at the second face of the Industrial Revolution. He recommended that for Ghana to achieve the promising fourth industrial revolution, it will be crucial for her to adopt effective and efficient sensor monitoring processes, data storage and analyses.
Dr A. Sikora emphasised the importance of collecting data and the analyses thereof through digital means by outlining visibility, transparency and predictability as being key phrases to the fourth phase of the industrial revolution.

On the key phases, he stated, “Data helps to gain additional visibility for the sake of sustainability for what you cannot measure you cannot control. After looking at data, it is important to understand why things are happening to analyse and optimise things effectively and efficiently” “Finally, the ability to predict helps to maintain data effectively. For instance, if you have decent information using artificial intelligence machine learning, you can do quite a lot while saving time.”

Internship Coordinator Juaben Oil Mills Ltd. Richmond Nubuor, detailed internship programs and training that entail precise practical processes through experiencing various sections of the company.

“At the farms, training involves how to create the right conditions and climate environment for palm fruits nursing. Then at the CPU area, interns are taken through extensive processing methods on treatments and mechanical processes”, he highlighted.

He added that the internship program at Juaben Oil Mills Ltd. allows trainees to gain valuable experiences from being equipped with safety and environmental awareness.

According to Mr Nubuor, student-trainees who sign up for the program are able to explore clear career paths in the area of agri-business through mentorship programs and workshops.
The Environmental Sustainability Cluster meeting helped to increase the effectiveness of the sustainability action where there was an exchange of knowledge and skill between project partners and companies.

The Partner Africa Project is a consortium between Arqum, Unternehmer Baden-Württemberg (UBW), and the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI). Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Sequa to achieve a special initiative on Training and Job Creation in Ghana