Homegrown climate tech startups are key to Africa’s green transition. Ten companies working on plastics recycling, sustainable stormwater drainage, and other climate solutions were selected for an accelerator program focused on Africa’s blue and green economies.
The startups, half of which are women-led, will receive $55,000 each to scale their solutions.
The Regen Wave and the $1 million Blue Wave startup initiatives were launched last year by emerging markets impact firm BFA Global, development finance agency FSD Africa, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, or IUCN, and other African climate and ocean innovators.
“Unleashing the regenerative potential of our economic engine represents the best chance” for addressing Africa’s climate crisis, said the IUCN’s Thomas Sberna.
Accelerating solutions
In Kenya, Africa Renewables Katalyst helps renewable energy projects obtain International Renewable Energy Certificates to generate income and subsidize costs. Plas Tech turns plastics from local waste collectors into cooking gas. In Rwanda, Eco Guardian is creating a sensor to monitor greenhouse gas emissions, while Lima Aja is using sensors to create pH-correcting organic fertilizers. Tanzania’s Sunwave provides solar-powered cold storage for small-scale fish farmers. Xi Bassile from Mozambique designs and constructs municipal bioswales, which collect and filter stormwater.
The group of 10 were chosen from a broader group of founders that participated in a fellowship program supported by Regen and Blue Waves for restorative solutions that enable sustainable livelihoods.
“The diversity and ingenuity of these startups reflect the continent’s potential for sustainable development,” said Rasima Swarup of BFA Global, which manages the Waves programs through its venture building studio, Triggering Exponential Climate Action, or TECA. “We are confident they will drive significant positive change in their communities and beyond.”
