In brief
AMAVI, a company in Benin’s Ouedo‑Kpossidja region, has processed over 150,000 litres of used cooking oil since 2023, turning the waste into soap and biodiesel. The firm partners with Chinese firm Henan Hengyong for equipment and training, and has set a goal of producing more than three tonnes of biodiesel daily by 2030. While the initiative promises environmental and health benefits, questions remain about scalability, long‑term impact and regulatory enforcement.
SMALL‑TOWN AMAVI, located about 40 kilometres north of Benin’s capital Cotonou, is turning discarded cooking oil from local hotels and restaurants into soap and biodiesel, a conversion that aims to curb waste‑related pollution and supply renewable energy, according to a feature published by Xinhua on Nov. 1, 2026.
The recycling venture, launched in 2023, has already processed more than 150,000 litres of used oil, gathered from more than a hundred restaurants that supply the company, said founder Carmel Djiha. It collects the oil on a regular schedule, then feeds the material through filtration and settling stages that remove water and solid residues before converting it either into soap or into biodiesel suitable for power generators and farm equipment.
"Consuming used cooking oil is harmful to human health and can cause cancer and respiratory problems in the long term," Djiha warned in an interview. He added that improper disposal can contaminate soil and disrupt aquatic ecosystems, echoing the country’s 2003 regulations that forbid the discharge or burning of used oil in environmentally sensitive areas.
To support the growing operation, AMAVI has signed a partnership agreement with Chen?an Hengyong, a Chinese company that supplies oil‑processing equipment and provides technical training for AMAVI staff. The collaboration is intended to imbue the local workforce with the know‑how needed to scale up production and meet tighter environmental standards.
Looking ahead, Djiha stated that AMAVI aims to industrialise its biodiesel production by 2030, targeting a daily output of more than three tonnes. The company believes that this expansion would markedly bolster its contribution to environmental protection, public health, and greenhouse‑gas emissions reduction.
While the initiative is widely lauded for turning a waste stream into useful products, several uncertainties remain unaddressed by current reports. It is unclear whether the planned partnership will deliver technology on schedule, whether AMAVI can sustain the projected output levels amid supply‑chain challenges, and how effectively Benin’s existing legislative framework will enforce compliance as operations expand. Future monitoring will need to confirm whether the projected environmental benefits materialise and whether the programme can transition from a pilot to a fully industrial model by the target year.
