Sierra Leone Innovator Turns Food Waste Into Clean Cooking Gas

Sierra Leonean innovator, clean energy advocate, and CEO and Founder of EcoIgnite, Andrew Sahr Norma, is transforming food waste into clean, safe, and efficient cooking gas for households and restaurants in Freetown, Makeni, and Waterloo using a biogas digester, which he developed to generate gas suitable for cooking.  

Norma’s biogas digester “tackles waste pollution, reduces dependence on firewood and charcoal and supports global sustainable development goals,’’ he told Swit Salone.

Turning Waste into Opportunity: The Journey

Image: Andrew Sahr Norma Working on His Biogas Digester

Sierra Leone generates about 802,000 tonnes of food waste annually. 

A large share of it is organic food waste that ends up in dumpsites and on the streets of Freetown. 

These hundreds of tonnes of food waste decomposes and emits methane, a powerful, destructive and health-hazardous greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming and climate change. 

According to the Scientific Research Publishing, Freetown, the capital, alone produces more than 742 tonnes of municipal solid waste daily, with the majority consisting of biodegradable organic waste from households, markets and restaurants. 

This waste contaminates Sierra Leone’s sea water, fresh water, and atmosphere by producing harmful emissions that worsen the already existing public health challenges. 

Speaking to Swit Salone, Norma says the idea for his biodigester biogas was born out of the desire to tackle the huge chunk of waste, especially food waste, people dispose of on the streets, drainage, and dumpsites in Freetown. 

In  2022, Norma and his team wanted to do something about the food waste on the streets of Freetown. They founded Greentech Bioenergy, now EcoIgnite.

“We realized that Sierra Leone has over 15,000 restaurants and more than 75 percent of these restaurants use firewood and charcoal to prepare their food,” Norma said. 

“This process is slow, increases cooking time and causes indoor air pollution that affects the health of kitchen staff.”

Norma’s research also revealed that between 70 and 80 per cent of households in Sierra Leone rely on either firewood or charcoal for cooking. 

He said conventional cooking methods like this contribute to deforestation and indoor air pollution, which he believes risk the health of Sierra Leoneans.

In 2024, EcoIgnite partnered with technology providers in China to design portable biogas digesters that convert food waste into cooking gas.

“At EcoIgnite, we help restaurants and homes tackle slow, smoky and long cooking times by turning their food waste into a cleaner, safer alternative cooking gas solution,” Norma said.

How to Use Norma’s Biogas Digester

Image: Andrew Sahr Norma Disposing Food Waste Into His Biogas Digester

The EcoIgnite biogas digesters work by processing food waste through anaerobic digestion, a natural process that produces methane-rich gas suitable for cooking.

Norma explained that the installation process begins with assessing the customer’s energy needs.

“Before installation, we interview the customer and find out their energy demand to determine the size of the biodigester needed,” he said. “After installation, we train customers on how to operate the system.”

His biogas digesters are available in different capacities depending on usage. 

For households, EcoIgnite installs units ranging from 8,000 to 10,000 litres, while restaurants can use larger systems ranging from 10,000 to 40,000 litres.

Environmental and Climate Impact

Image: EcoIgnite Biogas Digester Producing Gas for Cooking

Every year, the world generates over a billion metric tons of food waste, and over a billion meals are wasted every day. 

Food waste is not only a sanitation issue but also a climate concern. When organic waste decomposes in open dumps or landfills, it releases methane, a greenhouse gas that significantly impacts global warming and climate change. 

Since launching his biogas solution, Norma’s EcoIgnite says it has already made measurable environmental impacts, helping Sierra Leone achieve net-zero carbon emissions. 

“We have transformed over 120 tonnes of food waste into clean energy in Sierra Leone,” Norma said. “We have produced more than 700 cubic meters of clean energy and replaced over 5.2 tonnes of firewood.”

According to Norma, his biogas digester has also helped Sierra Leone in preventing more than 52 tonnes of carbon emissions from entering the atmosphere.

Supporting Global Sustainable Development Goals

EcoIgnite complements several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), and SDG 13 (Climate Action).

By reducing reliance on firewood and charcoal, his biogas digester helps limit indoor air pollution, which is linked to respiratory illnesses affecting millions of people who cook with traditional fuels. 

EcoIgnite’s biogas digester also provides an affordable, clean energy source for cooking while cutting greenhouse gas emissions associated with waste decomposition and deforestation.

“We are helping solve SDG goals 3, 7 and 13 by providing clean energy while protecting the environment,” Norma said.

Expanding Clean Energy Access In Sierra Leone

A Cooked Food by EcoIgnite’s Biogas Digester

Since the official launch of his biogas digester in 2024, Norma’s company, EcoIgnite, has begun deploying its digesters across Sierra Leone.

According to Norma in an interview with Swit Salone, he said more than 50,000 litres of biodigester capacity have already been installed in several locations across Sierra Leone, including Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary, the University of Makeni canteen, the Waterloo Council Canteen and Sanko Field in Freetown.

Norma hopes to expand the technology to more communities across the country.

“Our biodigester is helping bridge the energy gap in Sierra Leone by providing clean, reliable and safe cooking energy,” Norma said.

Encouraging Sierra Leoneans and Africans all over Africa, Norma believes biogas technology could play a significant role in addressing both waste management and energy access challenges across Africa.

“Biogas digesters are one of the most vital energy solutions needed in Africa to tackle deforestation and the impacts of climate change,” he said.

His green energy company, EcoIgnite, is now seeking partnerships with government agencies, non-governmental organisations, and international partners to scale the solution and make clean energy more accessible to households and businesses.

“We are looking for partnerships that will help us provide affordable energy to our people,” Norma said.

For Norma, the innovation is not just about technology but about reimagining food waste as a resource.

“Food waste should not be a problem,” he said. “It can be part of the solution.”