Waste-to-energy, explained: what would work for Mogadishu

Where Xidig members may contribute

Learning, research and collaboration openings, not confirmed contracts or tenders:

• Biogas at markets, abattoirs and dairies: small, testable and matched to wet organic waste.
• Composting for the organic fraction.
• Waste characterisation: measuring what Mogadishu's waste contains and how much energy it holds. Every option depends on this.
• Landfill know-how: members who have designed or run controlled landfills.
• Independent review of any waste-to-energy offer, against the guidance above.

Possible services, research, supplier or collaboration roles

• A pilot digester at one market or abattoir, with gas used on site.
• A one-district waste audit, measuring composition, moisture and heat value.
• A plain-language checklist for officials and investors, based on the World Bank and GIZ criteria.

Who may find this useful

• Environmental, chemical and mechanical engineers.
• Market, abattoir and dairy operators.
• Farmers who could use digestate or compost.
• Public-health professionals.
• Students in environmental science.

How waste becomes energy: the main options

Sources: World Bank incineration guide (2000); GIZ waste-to-energy guide (2017); UNEP (2019).

What international guidance says

On incineration. The World Bank's decision-makers' guide says "The average annual lower calorific value must be at least 7 MJ/kg, and must never fall below 6 MJ/kg in any season." It also says "The question that must always be asked about any incineration project is—why not landfill?" It sets a prerequisite: "A solid waste management system, comprising a controlled and well-operated landfill, has been functioning well for a number of years."

On money. GIZ advises: "If your municipality is unable to finance its present waste collection and treatment system continuously, you should reconsider building a WtE plant." GIZ puts the cost of a 150,000-tonne-a-year incinerator at EUR 30–75 million in emerging countries. UNEP warns that "Income from waste disposal and energy sales is usually insufficient to cover the full investment and operational cost."

On what's in the waste. UNEP notes: "Organic waste makes up 53% to 56% of MSW in low and lower-middle income countries, which yields a low calorific value." The World Bank's What a Waste 3.0 (2026) finds that "In low-income countries, food and garden waste account for more than half of municipal waste."

On health. WHO says "Uncontrolled waste incinerators (solid waste and hospital waste) are often the worst culprits of environmental release" of dioxins, due to incomplete burning. Modern plants need temperatures above 850 °C and gas cleaning. UNEP adds that fly ash from incinerators "is considered hazardous waste and must be treated accordingly".

Mogadishu's numbers. A 2019 estimate, which other figures contradict, put the city's waste at about 2,500 tonnes a day. That is roughly 900,000 tonnes a year, well above the guidance minimums (Xidig's calculation). Volume is not the constraint. Collection, composition and the lack of a landfill are.

Lessons from Africa

• Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (Reppie). It was designed to "incinerate 1,400 tons of waste every day" within EU emission limits (UNEP, 2017), and opened in September 2018. By March 2025 it was "operating at 50 percent capacity", citing "Faulty machinery, a lack of spare parts, and issues with maintenance" (The Reporter Ethiopia). A 2025 review by the campaign group GAIA Africa said its design assumptions "did not align with Ethiopia's actual waste stream".
• Kampala, Uganda (abattoir biogas). A digester produced "about 10 to 15 cubic metres of biogas daily" and cut the abattoir's diesel bill "by 90 percent" (World Economic Forum, 2015).
• Kenya (abattoir biogas). A community slaughterhouse turns "blood and waste" into bottled biogas (World Bank blog, 2015).
• Durban, South Africa (landfill gas). Gas captured at the city's landfills produces "about 3MW of electricity" (World Bank, 2015).
• Somalia. A biogas business in Mogadishu and Jowhar, reported as Somalia's first biogas plant, turns cow dung into cooking gas and fertiliser (Radio Ergo, 2021). Xidig found no municipal waste-to-energy plant anywhere in Somalia.

Dependencies and implementation constraints

• Collection and sorting come before any energy option.
• A controlled landfill for residues and ash.
• A power buyer and tariff (see Why electricity costs so much in Somalia).
• Skilled operators and spare parts, the main failure points in Addis Ababa.

Risks and unknowns

• Technology mismatch: a plant designed for drier waste would struggle.
• Cost: incinerators need large and continuing fees or subsidies.
• Emissions: poorly run incineration releases dioxins.
• Data: no composition study for Mogadishu was found.

Questions members should verify before acting

1. Which technology does the government's proposal (EV-01; see More about the source) intend?
2. Has anyone measured the heat value and moisture of Mogadishu's waste?
3. Where would residues and ash go?
4. Who would pay the gate fee, and who would buy the power?
5. Could smaller biogas plants deliver results sooner?

What is confirmed, and what isn't

Confirmed

• The government's proposal (EV-01) and its printed cost.
• The World Bank, GIZ, UNEP and WHO guidance quoted above.
• Reppie's reported underperformance (2025).

Our interpretation

• Biogas and composting fit Mogadishu's waste better than incineration today.
• Incineration becomes an option only after collection and a landfill work.

Not yet verified

• The composition and heat value of Mogadishu's waste.
• The technology EV-01 intends.

Relevant next steps

• Market and abattoir operators: consider a small biogas trial with members' technical help.
• Engineers: share landfill or digester experience in Xidig.
• Follow MoECC and the Banadir Regional Administration for any waste-to-energy study or tender.