The final year chemistry students at St. Brother Andre Senior High School explored the chemistry behind local soap-making during a hands-on outreach at BSA Alata Soap Production in Awutu Bawjiase in the Central Region.
The exercise formed part of the 2025 Chemistry Festival organized by the Department of Integrated Science Education (DISE) of the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), under the theme “Chemistry and Sustainability: Unlocking the Potential of Nature Through Cocoa and Palm Oil.”
Led by Dr Nelly Adjoa Sakyi-Hagan and Dr Charity Esenam Anor, the outreach bridged classroom learning with real-world experience, inspiring students to view chemistry as a tool for innovation, sustainability, and community development.
Dr Nelly explained that the Chemistry Festival is a project sponsored by the American Chemical Society (ACS), which provides grants to educators worldwide to organize engaging science programs for young learners between the ages of 12 and 18.
She noted that the aim is to take students out of the classroom and expose them to practical, fun and realistic learning experiences to help them develop a genuine interest in chemistry. According to her, such outreach activities help students understand key chemistry concepts such as saponification, esterification, and hydrolysis in action. She added that the initiative is done in collaboration with the University of Education, Winneba, to encourage more learners to pursue science-related courses especially chemistry.
The project collaborator, Dr Charity Esenam Anor, shared insights into the history of the traditional soap “Alata Samina.” She explained that the term “Alata Samina,” meaning “soap from the hot pepper sellers,” originated from the Yoruba tribe of Nigeria, whose women used to trade hot peppers known as “Alata” to the area of present-day Ghana. Dr Anor further demonstrated the saponification process used in producing Alata Samina and explained the role of sodium hydroxide in making another local soap known as “Azuma Blows.”
The Chief Executive Officer of BSA Alata Soap Production, Hajia Alhasan, described the business as a family-run enterprise sustained without external support. She expressed the need for financial and technical assistance to expand production with modern equipment, create more jobs and reduce air pollution for better health and environmental safety.
Some participating students expressed excitement about the outreach, saying it helped them understand classroom lessons better through real-life demonstrations. They expressed appreciation to the organizers and encouraged more of such practical programs to enhance their learning experience beyond textbooks.
