Africa has been experiencing a rapid growth in the past few decades, and as the continent grows in different spheres, the amount of byproducts and waste has also been rising. Today, waste management remains one of the major challenges on the continent. According to a World Bank Report, waste generation in Sub-Saharan Africa is approximately 62 million tons per year. The report indicates that with the rapid urbanisation and economic growth, the waste generation is expected to double by 2025.
The good news is that some young African entrepreneurs are coming up with innovations that transform waste into valuable products. The entrepreneurs are spread across the continent ranging from Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda to South Africa and their products range from beauty accessories to products that we use in our day-to-day businesses, such as packaging paper bags.
1. Andrew Mupuya – YELI, Uganda
Necessity is the mother of inventions, and this statement is a true definition of Andrew Mupuya’s life. The award-winning entrepreneur was barely 16 when he founded Youth Entrepreneurial Link Investments (YELI). This was in 2008 when both of his parents had lost their jobs and could only afford to pay his school fees, so Andrew had to fend for his own basic needs. He decided to start a small business. However, he did not have a starting capital, so he started collecting used plastic bottles and plastics bags, which he sold to retail shops and recycling plants.
During that time, the Ugandan government had just announced its intention to ban the use of plastic bags, and from his many rounds to the local shops, he realised that the demand for plastic bags had gone down and they were looking for alternative packaging bags. He took that as an opportunity and decided to produce paper bags.
To start this, he needed a starting capital of 36,000 Ugandan shillings ($14 at that time). He already had $11 from selling 70 kilograms of used plastic bottles collected in a week. Andrew borrowed the remaining $3 from his teacher and set up his small company producing handmade paper bags.
The business has grown exponentially, producing over 20,000 paper bags each week, and employs over 20 people. He has over 70 clients to include restaurants, retail stores, medical centres, and multinational companies like Samsung.
The “Paper King,” or the “Paper Bag Emperor,” as he is commonly referred to, has received many accolades and won various awards for his noble idea. In 2012, he was the winner of the Anzisha Prize of $30,000, which is a prestigious award given to young African entrepreneurs who have developed and implemented innovative solutions to social challenges or started successful businesses within their communities.
2. Lorna Rutto – EcoPost, Kenya
Lorna Rutto is a young Kenyan ‘Eco-preneur’ and founder of EcoPost, a social enterprise that gives an alternative waste management solution to one of Kenya’s huge waste problem – plastics.
EcoPost collects plastic wastes and manufactures commercially viable, highly durable, and, importantly, environmentally friendly fencing posts used widely across Kenya. These posts are used in houses and forest reserves to fence the properties, and they are getting increasingly popular. Every month, EcoPost uses approximately 20 tonnes of plastic waste, utilising dirty plastic to make a product that saves trees.
Lorna, who holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree in Accounting, quit her job with a bank in 2009 to pursue a career in waste management. EcoPost sources its raw material from garbage cans and dump sites in Nairobi. Her venture has not only provided Kenya with a commercial and environmental alternative to timber but has also created over 300 jobs with over $150,000 annual revenue. The business has made over 10,000 posts which have helped save over 250 acres of forests, which would have been otherwise cut down for timber to be used in construction work around the country. This innovation has helped take over 1 million kilograms of plastic waste from the environment and this has won her various awards and accolades both at home and abroad.
3. Thato Kgatlhanye and Rea Ngwane – Repurpose Schoolbags, South Africa
Repurpose Schoolbags is an innovative ‘green’ social startup founded by two childhood friends and now business partners, Thato Kgatlhanye and Rea Ngwane. The two entrepreneurs’ invention combines recycling, solar energy and education by making backpacks for school children. The backpacks are made from 100% recycled plastics and incorporate a solar panel that charges during the day while the child is walking to school. This, in turn, serves as light sources for the children to study and do their homework after dark. Furthermore, the bags have been designed with reflective strips as a safety measure to make the children visible when walking to school early in the morning. This venture creates a solution to a problem facing rural and non-electrified parts of South Africa. Launched in 2014, Repurpose Schoolbags has grown, and today it employs eight full-time staff, six of whom are women.
They collect the plastics from landfill sites and also in local schools that run campaigns to get their students to bring in plastics to be upcycled. The plastics are then taken to their workshop where they are processed into textile, then sewn into bags and then distributed. The workshop produces around 20 bags per day.
This innovation has not only helped to reduce plastics and clean the environment, but it has also restored dignity to school children in rural areas who would have been using plastic bags to carry their books. It has also helped the children study at night as well as be visible in morning traffic.
