Five Kenyan startups were part of the 2023 winners in the Afri-Plastics Challenge by the Government of Canada and Challenge Works in the results announced on Thursday, March 16.
The challenge recognises innovations that are tackling plastic waste as a way of reducing the volume of pollution filling the ocean.
In total the startups bagged Ksh 276,575,000 ( £2 million) of the total prize money, amounting to Ksh 647,397,790 ( £4.1 million).
They include Chemolex (Ksh 103,847,250), Mega Gas (Ksh69,231,500), EcoCoCo Homecare (Ksh34,615,750), Ukwenza (Ksh34,615,750), and Baus Taka Enterprise (Ksh34,615,750).
Chemolex was recognised for producing an alternative made from water hyacinths in Lake Victoria, while Mega Gas was lauded for converting waste plastic into affordable cooking gas.
On the other hand, EcoCoCo Homecare was praised for developing alternatives to plastic homeware with coconuts, Ukwenza VR won for using virtual reality to explain the journey of a piece of plastic after it is dumped, and Baus Taka Enterprise was recognised for developing an app to encourage people to separate their plastic waste.
To encourage users, the app offers cash rewards and points that can be redeemed for medical services.
According to Challenge Works Managing Director, Tris Dyson, 11 million tonnes of plastic waste enter the ocean annually, adding to the threat to marine life.
"The winners of the Afri-Platics Challenge are putting African innovation at the heart of solving this global problem," Dyson remarked.
On the other hand, Canada's High Commissioner in Nairobi, Christopher Thornley, noted that plastic waste pollution was a crisis affecting everyone, not only marine life.
"The winners of the Afri-Plastics Challenge show there is a way forward for establishing a successful circular economy for plastic waste, with innovations capable of changing how we all use and dispose of plastic – not only in Africa but around the world," Thornley opined.
Other winners included Green Industry Plast (Togo), Chanja Datti (Nigeria), Toto Safi (Rwanda), and Catharina Natang (Cameroon).
The challenge is designed as an element of the Ksh13 billion (USD 100 million) Marine Litter Mitigation Fund announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the G7 Leaders’ Summit in Charlevoix in June 2018.
