The Mohinani Group has partnered with Norfund, the Norwegian government’s investment fund for developing countries, to expand its recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) operations in Ghana and Nigeria. The investment will support infrastructure development aimed at increasing recycling capacity and reducing reliance on virgin plastics in food-grade packaging.
The initiative follows Mohinani’s earlier collaboration with the International Finance Corporation (IFC). The group operates rPET facilities through Polytanks Ghana Limited and Sonnex Packaging Nigeria Limited, each capable of producing 15,000 tonnes of recycled PET resin annually.
“This collaboration with Norfund marks another major milestone in our sustainability journey,” said Ashok Mohinani, Chairman of the Mohinani Group. “Together, we are intensifying efforts to close the loop for bottle-to-bottle recycling across West Africa and beyond.”
The facilities are expected to replace a significant volume of virgin PET used in packaging and support global targets for circular plastic use. In addition to environmental benefits, the project is anticipated to create approximately 500 direct jobs and up to 3,000 indirect roles in waste collection, transport, and logistics.
“This investment in Mohinani Group aligns with our efforts to develop the plastic recycling sector,” said Naana Winful Fynn, Regional Director for West Africa at Norfund. “By supporting the company to build high-capacity recycling infrastructure, we aim to buttress and develop collection chains, help to create jobs and improve lives, reduce dependency on imported inputs and decrease the amount of unmanaged waste.”
The partnership highlights the role of private sector and development finance collaboration in tackling plastic pollution and improving local economies.
According to the OECD, just 6% of plastic waste is recycled in Sub-Saharan Africa, where per capita plastic use is far below that of developed countries but mismanaged waste remains a persistent issue.