Researchers from the Algae4Africa consortium – involving Sokoine University of Agriculture (Tanzania), the University of Pretoria (South Africa) and Loughborough University (United Kingdom) – gathered in Morogoro, Tanzania, in August 2025 for a three-day programme of project meetings, laboratory visits, and fieldwork. The visit marked an important step in developing algae-based technologies for sustainable wastewater treatment and value creation in East Africa.

Tanzania faces mounting pressure on freshwater resources, and this is expected to increase due to population growth, climate change, and increasing demands from its expanding economy. Efficient wastewater treatment technologies would minimize pressure on freshwater resources and reduce growing environmental risks from untreated livestock wastewater. The Algae4Africa project, funded by the Royal Society’s International Science partnership Fund Collaboration Award, seeks to address these challenges by developing a low-cost, low-energy algae-based treatment system. The approach not only promises to clean wastewater but also to recover nutrients for use as fertiliser and produce natural pigments for the textile industry — creating multiple value streams and boosting rural economies.

The team at the Solomon Mahlangu Campus at Sokoine University of Agriculture

The team conducted a full-day field visit to Kilosa district, Morogoro where the team met with community members and local stakeholders. The site revealed livestock wastewater that presents both serious environmental and health risks, but also opportunities as a nutrient-rich feedstock for algae cultivation.

A wastewater collection pit from one farmer in Kilosa District

The engagement reinforced the project’s commitment to designing robust, community-friendly systems that can be maintained locally while delivering multiple benefits, including wastewater treatment, fertiliser recovery and natural pigment extraction for textile applications.

Looking ahead

Over the next phase, the consortium will focus on piloting thin-film algae photobioreactors in Tanzania, evaluating algae biomass as fertiliser for local crops, and testing pigment applications for cotton. A final symposium in Tanzania will share outcomes with communities, policymakers, and industry.

Project Team: