Michael Nyame Acquah
Accra
Summary
Professional Engineer (PE-GhIE) and Environmental & WASH Engineer with over six years of experience spanning sanitation infrastructure, sustainable waste management, resource recovery, environmental compliance, circular economy, applied research and project delivery. Currently serves as Manager – Hygiene Systems & Waste Management at Witties Ghana and Operations Manager at GreenHeart SE, combining technical leadership with operational management, environmental performance monitoring and development of waste-to-resource solutions.
Experience includes field engineering and implementation of large-scale household sanitation programmes, wastewater treatment assessment, biochar and biomass conversion, vermicomposting, environmental monitoring, quality assurance and stakeholder engagement. Has worked across public-sector programmes, private-sector environmental operations, research institutions and community-based initiatives.
Published in the Journal of Environmental Management, with additional scientific service as a peer reviewer for the journal and abstract reviewer for International Water Association congresses. Active within IWA technical groups and professionally registered with the Ghana Institution of Engineering. Technical interests include WASH, sustainable waste management, resource recovery, biochar, circular economy, environmental compliance and climate-resilient environmental systems.
Overview
10
10
years of professional experience
Work History
Manager (Hygiene Systems & Waste Management)
Witties Energy Limited
03.2026 - Current
- Provide technical and operational leadership for the company’s hygiene systems, sanitation and sustainable waste-management portfolio.
- Lead planning, implementation and performance monitoring of waste-management and environmental service projects, including municipal waste-transfer operations.
- Develop operational systems, SOPs and controls covering waste acceptance, HSE, environmental compliance, equipment operations, records management and landfill dispatch.
- Designed and implemented an automated Excel-based operational data system integrating operator registration, vehicle records, waste weights, routes, payments and daily transfer-station activities.
- Developed dashboards and automated reporting tools for waste throughput, operator performance, payment reconciliation, operational trends and management decision-making.
- Conduct environmental, HSE and ISO-aligned inspections, compliance assessments and corrective-action follow-up.
- Develop monitoring, evaluation and learning systems for tracking operational, environmental and project performance.
- Support circular-economy and resource-recovery initiatives, including waste segregation, material recovery and sustainable waste-management solutions.
- Prepare technical proposals, project concepts, budgets, management reports, presentations and other technical documentation.
- Engage metropolitan and municipal assemblies, regulators, clients, contractors, waste operators and other project stakeholders.
- Support business development, organisational strategy and management decision-making through technical analysis and project development.
- Deliver technical training and capacity development for staff, clients and project stakeholders
Operations Manager
GreenHeart SE
06.2025 - 03.2026
- Lead applied research on biomass pyrolysis and biochar production for carbon sequestration, nutrient recovery and circular resource recovery.
- Coordinate laboratory investigations, greenhouse studies and field validation to optimise biochar quality and evaluate its performance in climate-smart agriculture and soil restoration.
- Led production of over 50+ tonnes of biochar from agricultural biomass.
- Coordinated field validation across 2 hectares of farmland.
- Contributed to the development of 7 biochar related products.
- Trained 500+ farmers on sustainable biochar applications.
- Advanced circular economy approaches by transforming agricultural residues into high-value environmental products.
Field Engineer
Ministry of Sanitation & Water Resources
08.2021 - 04.2025
- Supported environmental monitoring, quality assurance and technical supervision for the implementation of household sanitation infrastructure under the World Bank-funded GAMA Sanitation & Water Project.
- Managed environmental data, conducted compliance inspections and coordinated technical verification activities to ensure delivery met project, engineering and environmental standards.
- Managed environmental and operational datasets for over 2,800 household sanitation facilities using ArcGIS Survey123 across 152 communities.
- Conducted environmental inspections and monitored compliance with Environmental and Social Management requirements throughout project implementation.
- Prepared technical reports, inspection reports and compliance updates for management and project stakeholders.
- Supervised sanitation infrastructure implementation benefiting over 14,000 people while ensuring environmental, quality and safety compliance.
- Trained artisans on environmentally compliant biodigester toilet construction and maintenance practices.
Research Assistant
Green Cycle Technologies
12.2019 - 07.2021
- Conducted applied research on vermicomposting of cow manure and wood residues to recover nutrients and produce high-quality organic fertilisers.
- Evaluated compost quality, developed compost tea formulations and assessed agronomic performance through field trials.
- Processed approximately 1.25 tonnes of organic waste per month into nutrient-rich vermicompost.
- Demonstrated 61% mass reduction during vermicomposting.
- Estimated avoidance of 0.5 tonnes CO₂ e emissions per month through methane reduction and carbon stabilisation.
- Supported commercialisation of vermicompost products through research and product development.
Graduate Research Fellow
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
08.2018 - 11.2019
- Conducted experimental research on vermicomposting as a treatment and resource-recovery approach for fresh human excreta.
- Designed and conducted controlled experiments using Eisenia fetida and Eudrilus eugeniae.
- Investigated degradation rates, mass reduction and sludge accumulation under different experimental conditions.
- Conducted physicochemical and microbiological analyses including COD, TKN, pH, electrical conductivity, volatile solids and helminth egg enumeration.
- Applied statistical analysis and regression modelling to experimental data.
- Research contributed to a peer-reviewed publication in the Journal of Environmental Management.
Graduate Research Intern
Sewerage Systems Ghana Limited
07.2017 - 08.2018
- Supported operational monitoring and optimisation of a 600 m³/day municipal wastewater treatment plant, evaluating treatment efficiency and environmental compliance.
- Monitored treatment processes to ensure compliance with Ghana EPA discharge standards.
- Conducted wastewater quality analyses including pH , turbidity and other operational parameters.
- Evaluated treatment efficiency across primary and biological treatment processes.
- Designed a waste stabilisation pond using operational performance data and prepared technical reports.
Teaching Assistant
University of Cape Coast
06.2016 - 07.2017
- Assisted in undergraduate laboratory practical sessions in water, inorganic and organic chemistry.
- Guided students in laboratory techniques, experimental design and scientific report writing.
- Assisted undergraduate students in research design, SPSS data analysis and preparation of technical reports and project dissertations.
- Supported laboratory safety and quality assurance procedures.
- Department of Chemistry
Education
M.Sc. - Water Supply and Environmental Sanitation
KNUST-Ghana
11.2019
B.Sc. - Water and Sanitation
University of Cape Coast
05.2016
Affiliations
- Ghana Institution of Engineering (GhIE) — Professional Engineer (PE-GhIE), Civil Division
- International Water Association (IWA) — Member
- IWA Resources-Oriented Sanitation Specialist Group — Management Committee Member, 2022–Present
- IWA Cluster on Nature-based Solutions for Climate-Resilient Water and Sanitation Management — Steering Group Member, 2025–Present
- IWA Water-Efficient Sanitation Task Group — Expert Member, 2024–2025
- The WASH Youth Network Ghana — Co-Founder / Research Coordinator
Certification
EKCÖLAB International Environmental and Water Sanitary Inspector (EWSI) Training
EKCÖLAB | November 2025
Level 1 CSRD Fundamentals
Sustainability Reporting Institute | February 2026
Waste Management and the Global Plastics Treaty
Sustainable Seas Trust | January 2026
Introduction to ISO 45001:2018 Occupational Health & Safety Management System
The Knights of Safety Academy | December 2025
Health and Safety Induction
The Knights of Safety Academy | December 2025
Understanding Antimicrobial Resistance in Food and Agriculture
FAO | December 2025
Maintaining and Restoring Wetlands in Agricultural Settings
FAO | December 2025
Environmental Education and Community Engagement
Cornell University | July 2022
From Learning to Leading: Beyond the ABCs on Youth, Water & the SDGs
Cap-Net | August 2022
Operationalization of GAMA-SWP AF Project’s M&E Results Framework
Trust Training Limited | December 2021
Training Workshop on Sanitation Technologies and Faecal Sludge Management
Analytical Skills
- Soil Physical, Chemical and Biological Analysis
- Water and Wastewater Quality Analysis
- Heavy Metal Analysis Using Acid Digestion Techniques
- Environmental Microbiology and Plate Count Methods
- Soil Density and Particle Size Analysis
- Physicochemical Water Quality Analysis
- Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) Analysis
- Environmental Sampling Techniques (Soil, Water and Wastewater)
- Laboratory Instrumentation and Analytical Methods
- HACH DR 5000 UV-Visible Spectrophotometer
- Palintest Photometer 7500 and Compact Turbidimeter
- Jenway 4510 Conductivity/TDS Meter
- HACH senSION+ pH Meter
- Stuart Scientific Colony Counter
- Statistical Data Analysis (R, SPSS and Microsoft Excel)
- Environmental Sampling Techniques (Soil, Water)
Awards Honours
- GreenLead African Climate Leaders Fellowship, Cohort I Fellow, 2024
- Mentor, GreenLead African Climate Leaders Fellowship (Cohort II), 2025
- World Bank Partial Scholarship, Master of Science in Water Supply and Environmental Sanitation Programme, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), 2017-2019
- President, Water and Sanitation Students Association of Ghana (WASSAG), University of Cape Coast, 2015-2016
Current Research Project
Scaling Local Biochar Production for Smallholder Farmers in Ghana and Nigeria, 2026-2029, African Development Bank (AfDB), Sasakawa Africa Association (SAA), in collaboration with Tachibana International Ghana Co. Ltd., Supporting GreenHeart SE's implementation of the Ghana component on wood vinegar production, quality assurance, research trials, farmer training, and technology dissemination to support climate-smart agriculture and regenerative farming.
Publications
- Degradation and Accumulation Rates of Fresh Human Excreta During Vermicomposting by Eisenia fetida and Eudrilus eugeniae, Acquah, M.N., Essandoh, H.M.K., Oduro-Kwarteng, S., Appiah-Effah, E., & Owusu, P.A., Journal of Environmental Management
- Assessment of Groundwater Quality in Community Wells: Evaluating Potability and Agricultural Suitability, Oteng-Peprah, M., Osei, F.N., Anang, M.A., Acquah, M.N., et al., Arab Gulf Journal of Scientific Research, Under Review
Skills
- Microsoft Excel – Advanced Data Analysis & Dashboards
- SPSS
- GIS
- ArcGIS / QGIS
- ArcGIS Survey123
- Digital Field Data Collection
- Operational Data Management & Reporting
Accomplishments
- Peer Reviewer – Journal of Environmental Management (5 completed reviews)
- Abstract Reviewer – IWA Water and Development Congress & Exhibition, Bangkok, 2025
- Abstract Reviewer – IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition, Toronto, 2024