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By Samuel Asamoah
Five young entrepreneurs from across the continent have been named winners of the 2025 African Climate Innovation Challenge (ACIC), a pan-African initiative supporting climate-focused startups tackling some of the continent’s most pressing environmental challenges.
The winners were selected during a pitch event held on November 29, 2025, in Kampala, Uganda—marking the climax of a year-long competition involving a call for applications, training, business incubation, and a final pitch before an independent jury.
ACIC, designed to close the climate financing gap and promote sustainable entrepreneurship, offers financial support, a comprehensive incubation programme, and peer mentorship to help winning ventures scale their solutions. Organisers say the initiative continues to cement Africa’s reputation as a hub of youth-led climate innovation.
This year’s competition attracted finalists from Ghana, Nigeria, Madagascar, Uganda, Morocco, Sierra Leone, Togo, Cameroon and Kenya—demonstrating the continent’s diversity and growing capacity to develop home-grown solutions to global climate challenges.
The 2025 winners are:
Jafife – Morocco
Jafife addresses food waste and post-harvest losses by deploying smart solar dryers that extend crop shelf life and reduce methane emissions. The solution also digitises supply chains and links farmers to processors, strengthening rural resilience and cutting carbon emissions from traditional drying methods.
Helton Traders Limited – Uganda
Led by a Ugandan female entrepreneur, Helton Traders converts post-consumer PET bottles into high-quality polyester threads. The enterprise supports more than 100 waste collectors, reduces import dependence, cuts production timelines, and expands sustainable manufacturing across East Africa.
Rôbalôtô – Togo
Responding to the growing waste challenge in schools, Rôbalôtô has developed a circular waste management system featuring smart bins, climate clubs and recycling initiatives that turn plastic waste into solar-powered school bags. The model reduces pollution and nurtures climate-conscious behaviour among young people.
Zuripacks – Kenya
Zuripacks produces eco-friendly, plastic-free packaging alternatives, addressing upstream carbon emissions and helping reduce flooding risks linked to plastic pollution in Kenyan cities.
Trashcoin – Nigeria
Trashcoin incentivises plastic recycling by rewarding users with digital tokens in exchange for collected waste. With more than 2.5 million kilograms of plastic already diverted from landfills and waterways, the platform is creating green jobs and cutting emissions from open burning.
Africa, despite being home to nearly 20% of the world’s population, attracts only about 3% of global clean energy investment. Initiatives like ACIC aim to close that gap by equipping young innovators with resources to build climate-smart solutions capable of generating long-term environmental and socio-economic impact.
Organisers say the competition will continue to spotlight and support emerging leaders whose innovations can help shape a more sustainable future for the continent.
