When many people see spoiled milk, they see waste. For Jovia Kisaakye, they see opportunity. As the founder of Ecobed Biotech and NutriGrab, the 2024 Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) Alumni is proving that some of society’s most pressing challenges can become powerful engines for innovation, sustainability, and economic growth. What started as a small business …
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Alumni stories
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From Spoiled Milk to Sustainable Innovation: How 2024 TEF Alumni Jovia Kisaakye Is Reducing Food Waste and Empowering Communities in Uganda
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Akhenaton Kayembe Is Building a More Integrated Approach to Facility Management in the DRC
Businesses depend on the systems that keep their facilities running, from electrical maintenance and fire safety to cleaning and equipment upkeep. When these services are managed separately, coordinating contractors can add operational complexity. In Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Akhenaton Kayembe, founder of Deliver Express Logistics (DEL), is building a business around a different …
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Marc Gono Is Building the Expertise Behind African Investment
Marc Gono is building the expertise that helps African businesses pursue investment and growth. A promising business can struggle to grow even when a market opportunity exists. Financing, regulatory requirements, financial management and investment risk can all stand between an entrepreneur’s plans and the next stage of development. For Marc Gono, these challenges represent a …
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Haroun Mahamat Adoum Is Transforming Waste Management in Chad for a Cleaner Future
After completing his master’s studies in Cyprus, Haroun Mahamat Adoum returned home having experienced cities where organised waste collection and sanitation were part of everyday urban life. Back in Chad, he saw a very different reality: communities dealing with unmanaged waste and limited access to structured collection services. The contrast stayed with him. Rather than …
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Christian Donfack Djoumessi Is Redefining Luxury Chocolate in Cameroon: A 2019 TEF Success Story
Christian Donfack Djoumessi wants the world to see African cocoa differently. Cameroon grows cocoa, but for Christian, producing the raw ingredient was only part of the opportunity. The bigger question was what could happen if more of that cocoa was transformed locally into premium products carrying an African identity. That question led him to create …
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Adama Bologo: Redefining African Fashion Through Heritage
Adama Bologo is making African heritage wearable for a new generation. Fashion can preserve history without being confined to the past. Across Africa, designers are drawing on traditional fabrics, silhouettes and craftsmanship while creating clothing designed for contemporary consumers. For Adama Bologo, that balance is at the heart of his work. From his base in …
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Ivette Biokou Is Turning Benin’s Fruit Surplus Into Opportunity
Ivette Biokou is turning surplus fruit into sustainable business. Every harvest brings a window of opportunity. For farmers growing mangoes, bananas and pineapples in Benin, that window can also be a race against time. Fresh fruit is highly perishable, and when it cannot be sold, stored or processed quickly enough, its value can disappear. For …
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Louis Wilfried Yehouessi Is Turning Benin’s Tomato Harvests Into Economic Value
Louis Wilfried Yehouessi is creating more value from what Benin already grows. Every harvest creates a question. What happens next? For tomatoes, that question is particularly important. Fresh produce has a limited shelf life, and when markets, storage or processing systems cannot absorb a harvest quickly enough, part of its economic value can disappear through …
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Bamai Namata Is Building Trust Into Cameroon’s Informal Service Economy
Bamai Namata is making it easier to find the right person for the job. When a pipe bursts, an electrical fault disrupts a business or a home urgently needs repairs, finding the right technician can be as challenging as fixing the problem itself. Across Cameroon, households and businesses have long relied on informal artisans for …
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Nneile Nkholise Is Building Medical Technology Around African Patients.
Nneile Nkholise is rethinking how medical technology can serve African patients. For a patient waiting for a prosthetic limb or a specialised medical device, time matters. So does fit. A device that does not adequately reflect a patient’s anatomy can affect comfort, usability and quality of life. Yet across many African healthcare systems, patients and …
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