The Chief Executive Officer of Portage Energy Group, Craig Latimer, has said the growing waste challenge in Kumasi, Takoradi, Tamale and Kpong can be converted into a renewable energy source.

Speaking to the media during a Canadian delegation visit to the site, he said the proposed plant could be operational within three years if financing and permits are approved, as part of a broader push for sustainable waste management in Ghana.

"Part of Canada's new industrial strategy to reach out with technology and expertise that we have in place with waste management, so we learned the problems in Ghana, Kumasi, Takoradi, Tamale and Kpong we have really made a country safer to come and work with the government specifically around waste energy.

"So we really want to take what is seen as something that's a problem which it is and turn it into something value and so we have come here with support from the government and people of Ghana has been extremely welcoming," he stated.

Mr Latimer added that converting municipal waste into energy makes practical sense because waste generation is inevitable as populations grow.

Turning that daily waste into productive energy, he said, is a better option than allowing it to accumulate.

He acknowledged that financing is the main hurdle, noting Portage has been tasked with finding the necessary resources and capital for the project.

He said regulatory approval and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) engagement will be important, but stressed the company intends to pursue an environmentally friendly approach.

"The hardest part of this project has always been the money, the capital is the real challenge and the national community is interested in solving issues here and it is very interesting and this is a problem.

"We have been tasked to finding the resources and the capital to do it and if we didn't get through with the government regulations of course the EPA, this is going to be done in extremely environmental friendly there's a chance we can be up and running with the process," he uttered.