Kenyan startup BrightGreen, which tackles the problem of deforestation through the production of fuel briquettes, founded by Chebet Lesan, has won the Africa Business Heroes competition of the Jack Ma Foundation. Lesan’s BrightGreen was selected from among 22,000 applications.
For the 2nd edition of the Africa Business Heroes competition, Chebet Lesat won the grand prize worth 300,000 USD. Nigerian Olowasoga Oni’s Mdaas Global project, operating in health care, comes in 2nd place and wins 250,000 USD. The 3rd finalist, Zimbabwean Ethel Mupambwa, wins a prize of 150,000 USD with her start-up Moneymart Finance, responding to the problem of financial inclusion of disadvantaged people.
BrightGreen responds to the challenge of deforestation in a sustainable way through the design, production and distribution of fuel briquettes. In Africa, more than 700 million people live without access to clean cooking fuel, and depend on burning wood to prepare their daily meals. The start-up intends to provide the poorest households with an affordable and environmentally friendly cooking solution.
Kenyan BrighGreen Jack Ma Kenyan BrighGreen Jack Ma
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In addition to fighting deforestation, BrightGreen contributes to building a circular economy by recycling agricultural waste formerly disposed of by incineration. Founded in 2015, the Chebet Lesan start-up has a monthly capacity of 30,000 kilos of briquettes, and already employs 20 people, 50% of whom are women.
Over the next few years, it aims to expand distribution in Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Ethiopia, and increase its production capacity from 30,000 to 1,000,000 kilos of fuel briquettes per month. The Jack Ma Foundation award will likely allow BrightGreen to meet some of its development goals.
As a reminder, the Jack Ma foundation has pledged to pay 10 million USD in grants over 10 years, to entrepreneurs in the fields of agriculture, artificial intelligence, e-commerce, fashion, health care. , renewable energies and information and communication technologies (ICT).
Charles Rapulu Udoh
Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based lawyer who has advised startups across Africa on issues such as startup funding (Venture Capital, Debt financing, private equity, angel investing etc), taxation, strategies, etc. He also has special focus on the protection of business or brands’ intellectual property rights ( such as trademark, patent or design) across Africa and other foreign jurisdictions.
He is well versed on issues of ESG (sustainability), media and entertainment law, corporate finance and governance.
He is also an award-winning writer