Spaceafrica – Malawi

Swiss Partners

Spaceafrica GmbH, Zürich

https://spaceafrica.life/

Arthur Groh

Local Partner

Zikomo Foundation
Invegrow LLC

Project Type:

Pilot project

Technology:

Resource efficiency

Country:

Malawi

Project Status:

Ongoing

Project Start:

2023

End of Project:

2025

Contract:

2023.03

Swiss Contribution

Spaceafrica is a young pioneer Swiss company in the field of material science based on agricultural waste. With its research and development centre based in Zurich, it is ensuring that sustainable technologies based on the circular economy are implemented in Malawi. Training local partners is an integral part of the project.

Description

Since 2020, the cultivation of industrial hemp has been legal in Malawi. The waste resulting from these new operations is usually burnt, emitting CO2 emissions.

Spaceafrica is tackling this problem by proposing to transform hemp waste into light, robust building materials. The primary aim of the project is to set up a complete production chain, including the establishment of a recovery system and the production and distribution of hemp concrete bricks and granules. A training centre will be set up to train local farmers. This new industrial sector is closely linked to agriculture, Malawi’s main area of activity. The combination of tradition and innovation enables an effective transfer of knowledge and technology, complementing the knowledge of the local population.

Results

The first tests have been carried out, producing 100 bricks by hand. Automated production is due to start in summer 2024, once the machines have been delivered to the site.