Transforming Sanitation at Kumasi's Kejetia Central Market

Published December 19, 2025

Municipality

+45

points (42 → 87/100)

Sanitation Score Improvement

tonnes/day

Daily Waste Handled

tonnes/day

Organic Waste Composted Daily

The Challenge

Kumasi's Kejetia Central Market — one of the largest open-air markets in West Africa, serving over 50,000 daily traders — was generating approximately 8 tonnes of organic waste per day with no structured collection system. Rotting produce accumulated in corridors between stalls by midday, creating severe public health risk. The market had recorded two cholera outbreaks in the preceding three years, directly attributable to waste-contaminated water in the market drainage channels. Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly's sanitation score for the market stood at 42 out of 100 — well below the 60-point threshold for regulatory compliance.

Our Solution

PCM designed a high-frequency, high-volume collection operation sized for the market's scale. Six compactor containers were positioned at strategic collection points across the market's four zones, replacing the informal skip arrangement that was chronically overwhelmed. Three daily collection runs were scheduled: 05:30 before trading began, 12:00 at peak waste generation, and 19:00 at market close. A composting partnership was established with a Kumasi-based urban agriculture cooperative, diverting organic waste from landfill to productive soil amendment. PCM assigned a dedicated site supervisor to coordinate with market management and the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly sanitation team.

The Results

Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly's formal sanitation score for the Kejetia market improved from 42 out of 100 to 87 — a 45-point improvement — within two years of the PCM service launch. No cholera incidents have been recorded in the market since the structured collection began. The composting partnership diverts 2 tonnes of organic waste per day from landfill, producing soil amendment that is sold back to the urban agriculture cooperative. The market's improved sanitation profile has been cited in a Ghana EPA national report on municipal waste management best practice.