About this module
Level 2 made good compost. Level 3 makes a business that farmers, buyers and regulators can trust, batch after batch.
Who it is for. People who have finished Composting and Circular Agriculture Level 2, or who already run a compost yard and can show the same skills. In Ghana's framework, National Proficiency II leads to National Certificate I, which covers complex work with minimum supervision. This module sits at about that level.
CTVET status. No CTVET composting programme was found. This module is not a CTVET curriculum.
Bridge from Level 2: what you already know
- Hazards: gases, dust and germs, fire, snakes and pests; the permit question under Act 1124
- Windrows and aerated static piles; temperature rules for killing germs; batch sums
- Maturity signs and tests: cress test, C:N, pH, salts; lab leads
- Worms, black soldier fly, bokashi, biochar basics, the circular-farm diagram
- Simple waste agreements, the fertiliser law overview, labels, prices, cooperatives
Level 2 left out in-vessel machines, human-waste co-composting and farm system design. Level 3 introduces co-composting (only under permit and with a trained partner) and system design. Abattoir composting and digester building stay "awareness only". For general bookkeeping and business skills, see the Hub's Money Skills Level 2 and Entrepreneurial Thinking Level 2.
How the module works
Each unit has learning outcomes, performance criteria, the range and the evidence your assessor needs. You are judged Competent or Not Yet Competent. About 70% of the time is practical, following CTVET's Oil Palm programme split of about 30% school and 70% workplace.
Safety first
- Fire: compost can self-heat and ignite; keep windrows below about 3 m, turn above 60 °C, keep clear aisles and water on site. Piles at 75 °C or more can catch fire.
- Machines: turner flails throw stones far; keep a clear zone and wear ear protection.
- Dust: wear a respirator when turning or screening dry compost. Keep workers with weak immunity, asthma or allergies off dusty work.
- Human and animal waste: never accept faecal sludge or abattoir waste without an EPA permit, an Assembly agreement and a trained partner.
Unit 1 · Design and run a commercial compost site
The pad is never big enough, and water always finds the weak spot. Plan both from the start.
Competency standard
| Learning outcome | Performance criteria — the trainee… |
|---|---|
| 1.1 Choose and lay out a site | plans slope, drainage, buffers, wind and working zones |
| 1.2 Size capacity | works out tonnes in, shrinkage, residence time and pad area |
| 1.3 Control runoff and risk | plans runoff and leachate control, fire, machinery and dust safety |
Range. One real or planned site. Evidence. Site plan; capacity sum; runoff plan.
Site rules
- Choose high ground away from surface water, with a gentle slope of about 2% so water does not pond; run windrows up and down the slope; divert storm water with a ditch or berm; note the main wind direction.
- Plan space for receiving, active windrows, curing, storage of bulking material, screening, bagging and sales, and equipment. Turned windrows need more land than forced air or in-vessel systems.
- Runoff can be treated with grass filter strips, sediment traps and ponds, or returned to dry windrows.
US distances, not Ghana rules. Cornell's distances from homes, wells and water are New York examples. Ask the EPA Takoradi office what applies to your site.
Sizes and methods
- Windrows are about 90 cm high for dense manure up to 3.6 m for light material and 3–6 m wide; the active phase lasts about 3–9 weeks. Aerated static piles are about 1.5–2.5 m high with a blower and pipe and are active for about 3–5 weeks.
- Windrows are about twice as wide as they are high and are turned with loaders or turners.
- In Accra, ACARP at Kotoku produces large volumes of compost and sells grades including Compost Plus.
Capacity sum
You receive 10 tonnes of mixed waste a day, 26 days a month. Material shrinks to half by the end. The active phase lasts 8 weeks and curing 4 weeks. Roughly how many tonnes are on the pad at any time? How much finished compost a month?
Plan a site
- Draw a site plan with slope, drains, zones and wind direction.
- Work out capacity and pad area for your target tonnage.
- Write a runoff and fire plan.
Walk the site
Walk your yard after rain. Where does water pond or run off?
Unit 2 · Source and contract feedstocks safely
What goes in decides what comes out. Contract for clean, steady feedstock and refuse the rest.
Competency standard
| Learning outcome | Performance criteria — the trainee… |
|---|---|
| 2.1 Grade feedstocks | assesses C:N, moisture, contamination and risk |
| 2.2 Write contracts | writes supply contracts with intake rules, rejection rights, records and fees |
| 2.3 Plan co-composting | plans faecal-sludge co-composting only under permit and partnership |
Range. Three feedstock sources. Evidence. Feedstock grading sheet; signed contract; co-composting plan.
A feedstock contract
- Supplier, material, expected tonnage and schedule
- What is accepted and what is rejected (plastics, metals, batteries, treated wood)
- Your right to refuse a load and charge for removal
- Tipping fee or price per tonne
- Weighing and records
- Signatures
Co-composting with faecal sludge
- Mix about 1 part dewatered sludge to 2–3 parts solid waste, or 1 part liquid sludge to 5–10 parts. Keep the pile at 55–60 °C to reduce germs; windrows at least 1 m high, covered with compost or soil; respirators if dusty.
- Fortifer in Tema co-composts septic sludge with food waste or sawdust into powder and pellets. Partners included the Assembly and IWMI; the EPA granted its construction permit and MoFA was involved in certification.
- US rules for sludge-based products need at least 14 days above 40 °C with an average above 45 °C to reduce flies and smells. WHO publishes guidelines on using excreta safely in farming.
Never alone. Co-composting is only for a permitted site with a trained partner, separate protective clothing, a boot wash and restricted zones. Do not sell until temperature records and laboratory germ tests pass.
Feedstocks
- Grade three feedstocks for C:N, moisture and contamination.
- Write and agree a supply contract with one supplier.
- Write a co-composting plan showing permits, partner and controls.
Waste audit
Visit a market or processor and estimate how much organic waste it produces each week.
Unit 3 · Process control, quality and product standards
Your label is a promise. Make it true with records and lab results.
Competency standard
| Learning outcome | Performance criteria — the trainee… |
|---|---|
| 3.1 Control the process | records temperature, moisture and turning to meet targets |
| 3.2 Sample and test | takes representative samples, chooses tests and reads a lab report |
| 3.3 Write a specification | writes a product specification and label from results |
Range. At least two batches. Evidence. Process logs; lab report; specification and label.
Targets
Start at C:N of 25–30:1 and moisture of 50–60%; keep pH below about 8. Germs are normally destroyed at 55 °C or more and weed seeds at 62 °C. Mature compost has a C:N of about 10–15:1.
Sampling and testing
- Usual tests: pH, salts, organic matter, solids, nitrogen, phosphorus, C:N, maturity and density, with metals and germs if needed.
- Take a composite of at least 16 small samples from both sides of a pile, starting at the base; send at least two samples; ship germ samples on ice after calling the lab.
- Retest each batch and whenever feedstock changes; put the last three results and their average on the label.
- Soil and compost testing in Ghana: see CSIR-SRI services.
Product specification
- Product name and grade
- Feedstocks used
- Typical nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, organic matter, pH, salts, C:N
- Moisture and particle size
- Germ and metal test results (if tested)
- Batch number and test date
- Directions and rates
Ghana compost standards. No Ghana standard for compost metals, germs or minimum nutrients was found. Use your lab results honestly and ask PPRSD and GSA what applies.
Prove a batch
- Log temperature in several places daily for one batch.
- Take a composite sample and send it to a lab.
- Write a product specification and label from the results.
Lab prices
Ask two labs what a compost nutrient test and a germ test cost.
Unit 4 · Product development and circular-farm design
Premium products and farm nutrient plans earn far more than loose compost.
Competency standard
| Learning outcome | Performance criteria — the trainee… |
|---|---|
| 4.1 Develop products | makes enriched, blended and pelleted products and trials them |
| 4.2 Prepare for registration | prepares a product dossier for registration and labelling |
| 4.3 Design circular farms | designs nutrient budgets linking crops, livestock, fish, biogas and compost |
Range. Two products; one client farm. Evidence. Trial records; product dossier; farm nutrient plan.
Enrichment
Add about 20 kg rock phosphate and 5 kg lime per tonne of waste; superphosphate at about 20 kg per tonne in hot composting; wood ash adds potassium. Farm compost is often low in phosphorus.
Pellets and demand
- Pellets are less bulky and easier to transport. Northern Ghana farmers valued compost and labels.
- In June 2026 MoFA distributed organic fertiliser to cooperatives, vegetable groups and irrigation schemes. In September 2026 MoFA signed an agreement for a US$50 million organic fertiliser blending facility and plans to buy its products for Feed Ghana.
- Black soldier fly frass has been certified as fertiliser by MoFA. Biochar blends are covered in the Level 2 biochar brief.
Registration
The Plants and Fertilizer Act 2010 controls fertiliser through MoFA's Plant Protection and Regulatory Services Directorate. Steps, fees and whether small producers must register were not found: ask PPRSD before selling.
Circular farm design
For a client farm, list every nutrient source (manure, crop waste, fish water, biogas slurry, compost) and every crop's needs, then plan how waste from one part feeds another and what must still be bought.
Products and plans
- Make an enriched compost and a plain compost; compare them on a trial plot.
- Prepare a product dossier: specification, label, lab results, trial results.
- Draw a nutrient-cycle plan for a farm with crops and livestock.
Buyer interview
Ask a vegetable grower what they would pay for enriched compost or pellets.
Unit 5 · Establish your organic-fertiliser business
A compost plant needs a business registration, an environmental permit and honest labels before it needs customers.
Competency standard
| Learning outcome | Performance criteria — the trainee… |
|---|---|
| 5.1 Choose a legal form | compares business types and registers one |
| 5.2 Meet tax and permit duties | lists tax, VAT, EPA, PPRSD and Assembly duties |
| 5.3 Employ fairly | applies SSNIT, PAYE and Labour Act basics |
Range. Own business plan. Evidence. Registration checklist with costs; payroll sheet.
Choose a legal form
| Type | ORC fee (2026) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Business name (sole proprietor) | GH¢130; GH¢70 renewal | You carry all debts |
| Partnership | GH¢270; GH¢100 renewal | 2–20 partners |
| Company limited by shares | GH¢585 + capital duty | For larger plants and investors |
| Company limited by guarantee | GH¢490 | For community or social enterprises |
Companies file annual returns with financial statements. Farmer cooperatives have their own legal framework.
Tax and permits
- Your Ghana Card number is your tax number.
- Sole traders may use the Modified Taxation Scheme; companies pay 25%, or 18.5% for manufacturers in a regional capital such as Takoradi.
- VAT is 20% in total from 2026; a business selling goods registers once turnover passes GH¢750,000.
- Under the 2025 Environmental Protection Act, running an undertaking without a permit is an offence. Fortifer's plant had an EPA construction permit.
- Fertiliser registration with PPRSD (Unit 4), following MoFA's Organic Fertilizer Guideline, produced with UN support: ask PPRSD for a copy; Assembly permit; insurance only from licensed insurers.
Employing staff
- Pay at least GH¢21.77 a day.
- SSNIT: worker 5.5% plus employer 13%, paid by the 14th; register workers on hiring.
- PAYE: the first GH¢588 a month is tax-free; pay by the 15th.
- Written contract for six months or more; 15 working days' paid leave.
Accessibility
Ghana's Disability Act bans discrimination, though access to public facilities is still poor. Seated bagging and labelling tables, firm level aisles, picture batch cards and visual alarms help. Offer office, sales and lab-record roles to workers who must avoid dust, as health protection, not exclusion.
Register
- Choose a legal form and explain why.
- Make a checklist of registrations, permits and insurance with costs.
- Work out one month's payroll for three workers.
EPA
Ask the EPA Takoradi office which permit a compost plant of your size needs.
Unit 6 · Bookkeeping and accounting for a compost enterprise
You can earn twice: once when you receive waste, again when you sell compost. Record both.
Competency standard
| Learning outcome | Performance criteria — the trainee… |
|---|---|
| 6.1 Keep daily books | keeps cash, MoMo/bank, intake, sales and stock records |
| 6.2 Produce statements | prepares a monthly profit and loss and balance sheet |
| 6.3 Control cash | reconciles MoMo and bank, and forecasts cash |
Range. One month of real or example records. Evidence. Books; statements; reconciliation; forecast.
The records
| Record | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Intake log | Tonnes received, supplier, tipping fee |
| Batch record | Batch number, dates, temperatures, tests |
| Sales book | Bags or tonnes sold, buyer, paid or owed |
| Stock sheet | Finished, curing and bagged stock |
| Cash book and MoMo book | Every cedi in and out |
| Asset register | Machines and their depreciation |
Keep records for at least 6 years.
Assets = liabilities + owner's equity. Depreciation = (cost − end value) ÷ years of use.
Prices to check
In October 2026, 25 kg compost bags were advertised at about GH¢80 and multipurpose organic fertiliser at GH¢85–100. In 2016, organic fertiliser sold for about GH¢25 per 50 kg against about GH¢120 for inorganic.
Worked example (all figures are examples)
Ama's compost yard, September
- Ama puts in GH¢20,000.
- Buys a shredder for GH¢12,000 (5 years, no end value).
- Receives market waste with a tipping fee of GH¢1,500 from the Assembly.
- Sells 300 bags of 25 kg at GH¢70 = GH¢21,000; a farmer group owes GH¢4,000.
- Bags and labels GH¢1,500; lab tests GH¢800; transport GH¢1,200.
- Two workers GH¢2,400; rent GH¢500; power GH¢300.
- At month-end, 100 finished bags are in stock, valued at their cost of GH¢800.
- Ama takes GH¢1,500 (drawings).
Work out: (1) cash at the end of September; (2) net profit; (3) the balance sheet.
Reconciliation and forecast
Match MoMo and bank books to statements each month. Compost sales peak before planting seasons, so forecast cash by month and save in the busy months.
Software and the calendar
Use a spreadsheet, or a free plan such as Zoho Books or Wave.
| When | What |
|---|---|
| 14th | SSNIT |
| 15th | PAYE and withholding tax |
| Last working day | VAT (if registered) |
| Within 4 months of year-end | Annual income tax return |
| By 31 March | Assembly permit |
Month-end close
- Keep intake, batch, sales and cash books for one month.
- Reconcile MoMo and bank.
- Prepare a profit and loss and a balance sheet.
- Forecast cash for six months around the planting seasons.
Cost per bag
Work out your cost to make one 25 kg bag.
Unit 7 · Grow and sustain the business
Grow on clean feedstock, honest labels and steady buyers.
Competency standard
| Learning outcome | Performance criteria — the trainee… |
|---|---|
| 7.1 Find finance and buyers | identifies finance, support and large buyers |
| 7.2 Keep quality and ethics | keeps quality records and honest claims |
| 7.3 Plan and pitch | presents a one-page plan with a 12-month cash forecast |
Range. Own business plan. Evidence. Business plan; cash forecast; pitch.
Finance and support
- The Ghana Enterprises Agency has Business Advisory Centres in Takoradi and nearby districts.
- GIRSAL guarantees help agribusinesses get bank loans.
- The 2026 Budget funds enterprise support and the Women's Development Bank. The Bank of Ghana policy rate was 14%.
Location settings that give good returns
- Close to a reliable feedstock source
- Close to buyers: vegetable areas, irrigation schemes, nurseries
- An all-weather road for trucks
- High ground, gentle slope, away from water and downwind of homes
- Room to expand
Business ideas and ingenuity
- Tipping fees for receiving waste
- A lab-tested premium line and an enriched "plus" grade
- Pellets and potting mixes
- Contract composting for an Assembly
- Farm nutrient-plan consulting
- Training other compost makers
Market yourself
- Lab results on every label.
- Trial plots that farmers can visit.
- Sell through cooperatives and irrigation schemes.
Ethics
Never claim "certified", "organic" or "registered" without the document. The label must match the lab results.
Capstone
Present to a panel: a one-page business plan and a 12-month cash forecast.
Pitch
- Write a one-page plan.
- Build a 12-month cash forecast.
- Pitch to a panel for ten minutes.
Buyer meeting
Meet one cooperative or irrigation scheme and ask what volume they could buy.
Glossary
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Co-composting | Composting faecal sludge with other organic waste |
| Composite sample | Many small samples mixed into one |
| Leachate | Liquid that drains from compost |
| Pad | The hard surface where compost is made |
| Product specification | A written description of what is in a product |
| Tipping fee | Money paid to you for receiving waste |
Logbook
- Safety: fire and dust checks
- Unit 1: site plan; capacity sum; runoff plan
- Unit 2: feedstock grading; contract; co-composting plan
- Unit 3: process logs; lab report; specification and label
- Unit 4: trial records; dossier; nutrient plan
- Unit 5: registration checklist; payroll
- Unit 6: books; statements; forecast
- Unit 7: business plan; pitch
- Every homework, dated
Self-check quiz
- What slope suits a compost pad, and why?
- Why run windrows up and down the slope?
- How high should windrows be kept to reduce fire risk?
- What must a feedstock contract allow you to do?
- What mix of dewatered sludge to solid waste is used in co-composting?
- At what temperatures are germs and weed seeds destroyed?
- How do you take a representative compost sample?
- What goes on a product label?
- How much rock phosphate and lime enrich a tonne of waste?
- Is a tipping fee income?
- Write the accounting equation.
- Why must labels match lab results?
Further reading and sources
Best next reads: your Level 2 manual; FAO on-farm composting methods; Cornell compost fact sheets; the Hub's Money Skills Level 2 and Entrepreneurial Thinking Level 2.
What this module does not cover: in-vessel machines in detail, abattoir composting, digester construction and certified organic farming.
Every source used in this manual is listed, with links, in the Teacher Copy.