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Styrian Entrepreneurs Launch Educational Project in Ghana – On-Site Kickoff

Raaba, January 23, 2025
Styrian entrepreneurs Hannes Schreiner and Markus Maierhofer are committed to improving education in Ghana. This week marked the official launch of their initiative, as both traveled to Ghana to meet the project team and plan the next steps for their sustainable education project.

Project Kickoff

“In one of the schools we visited, up to 130 children are learning in a single 40-square-meter classroom,” describes Hannes Schreiner. “During the rainy season, students and teachers have to move their desks in and out every day because the classrooms aren’t properly protected.” Basic resources such as school supplies, seating, and even food for students are often lacking.

To address this urgent need, the two entrepreneurs, together with a dedicated project team, plan to invest over €200,000 to support two public schools with 1,000 to 1,500 students each. Their goal is to renovate classrooms and provide essential supplies, including multipurpose water bottles, backpacks, and clothing. “Education is the key to a better future, but under these conditions, learning is extremely difficult,” says Markus Maierhofer.

Why Ghana?

Their focus on Ghana is no coincidence. The West African nation is one of the fastest-growing economies on the continent. According to a recent study by the African Development Bank, Ghana’s GDP is projected to grow by 4.3% in 2025. However, this growth does not automatically benefit all social groups. The education sector, in particular, still faces significant challenges—precisely where Schreiner and Maierhofer aim to make an impact.

For Maierhofer, Ghana is familiar territory. As CEO of FIMA Industries GmbH, he has been actively involved in sustainable projects across Africa, including a €40 million waste management initiative in Nigeria. His experience in infrastructure projects and existing business connections are now helping to facilitate the launch of this education initiative.

Both entrepreneurs are convinced: even a relatively small financial investment can have a huge impact in Ghana. “The leverage is enormous—what might equip a single classroom in Austria can help build entire schools here,” Schreiner emphasizes. Following their visit, the first measures are now being planned. The next steps include finalizing and implementing initial construction projects to create sustainable improvements for local children as quickly as possible.

FIMA Industries: Largest Green Tech Export to Africa
STYRIAN ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY SPECIALIST SECURES €20 MILLION CONTRACT IN NIGERIA.

Austria/Nigeria/Ghana
“With this project, we have secured the largest Austrian export volume to date in the field of waste management and green technologies on the African continent,” said FIMA Industries CEO Markus Maierhofer. Specifically, it involves two household waste processing plants that will be put into operation in Nigeria within the next 12 months.
Africa’s most populous city, Lagos, Nigeria’s capital, faces numerous challenges due to rapid population growth. The biggest issue is the massive amount of waste and the lack of infrastructure to address this problem. Currently, almost all of Nigeria’s waste ends up unsorted in landfills due to the absence of adequate facilities, resulting in significant environmental issues.
“We have focused precisely on this area and can offer targeted solutions. On two existing landfills, we will install two household waste processing plants together with our partner KOMPTECH GmbH,” said Maierhofer. The recyclable materials from the waste will be separated and recycled, while the remaining organic waste will be processed into compost.
“This project has a dual impact. On the one hand, we significantly reduce waste volumes. On the other, we produce urgently needed compost, which replaces imported fertilizers and, in the truest sense, helps make Nigeria greener,” Maierhofer further explained.
This project will create over 1,000 green jobs per facility and save over 1.2 million tons of CO2 per year. The reduction in landfill volumes is an additional sustainable contribution to environmental protection, especially soil conservation.
“We have already handled projects worth over €60 million in the green tech sector in sub-Saharan Africa over the past five years. It’s a double pleasure for me that today, as part of the opening of the new embassy in Accra, we are launching this project. After all, we laid the foundation for this during Chancellor Nehammer’s trip to Ghana last year,” Maierhofer said enthusiastically.
Africa’s largest waste management company, Zoomlion Ghana Limited, a subsidiary of the Jospong Group from Ghana, with more than 85,000 employees mainly in the waste sector, will be supplied.
“Following our successes in Ghana, where we have already delivered more than 16 household waste processing plants to Zoomlion in collaboration with KOMPTECH, we are now making our first footprint in Nigeria, a very important future market for our joint development,” Maierhofer added.
FIMA Industries GmbH is a Styrian company and a spin-off of KOMPTECH GmbH, specializing in the construction of recycling plants and equipment for the waste management industry. It plays a leading role in the African market. With extensive references in sub-Saharan Africa, FIMA offers tailored solutions in waste management and green infrastructure.