WASTEWATER TREATMENT INNOVATIONS: ADAPTING NANOTECHNOLOGY AND BIO-REMEDIATION FOR SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA – A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Background: Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) faces a deepening wastewater management crisis, with less than 10% of generated wastewater treated before environmental discharge. Conventional treatment infrastructure is inadequate, underfunded, and energy-intensive, demanding innovative, context-adapted solutions. Nanotechnology and bioremediation have independently demonstrated high pollutant removal efficiency globally but remain poorly integrated within SSA's water sector. Objective: This systematic review critically evaluates the current evidence on nanotechnologybased and bioremediation-based wastewater treatment approaches, assesses their adaptability to SSA's socioeconomic and environmental realities, and proposes a hybrid nano-bioremediation framework for the region. Methods: A structured literature search was conducted across PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar using PRISMA guidelines. Studies published between 2020 and 2025 addressing nanotechnology, bioremediation, or integrated hybrid systems for wastewater treatment with SSA applicability were eligible for inclusion. Thirty peer-reviewed articles were synthesised narratively