Youth Action 31: Green start-ups are on the rise!, Egypt
Between recycling, upcycling, waste management, water reuse and green fashion, eco-conscious African youth are building a mosaic of multidisciplinary efforts to protect their environment and improve its quality. Several environmentally-conscious social enterprises are promoting waste management and sustainability, proving start-ups are capable of leading real environmental solutions.
One example is “Mobikya”; a green interior design studio and upcycled furniture company that specialises in using recycled architecture, furniture, and interiors. It uses materials such as old car tires, aluminium cans, plastic boxes, old electric devices to make impressive furniture that satisfies various tastes.
Another example is “Can Bank”; a start-up that put together a vending machine look-alike that gives users instant rewards like phone credit or promo codes in exchange for their used beverage cans or plastic bottles or allow them to give it away to charity. The machine is available in universities, clubs, malls, etc. The waste is later collected and classified to be recycled safe and responsibly. Not only do such start-ups help improve the environment and its quality, but also, they spread the recycling culture among their communities, inspiring even more youth to contribute to their cause, and motivating their sense of responsibility towards their environment.
Quick facts
• Africa’s youth population is growing rapidly. It is expected that, by 2030, the number of African youths will have increased by 42 per cent (United Nations 2015). At the same time, youth in Africa face significant economic challenges, with youth accounting for 60 per cent of all unemployed in Africa (Africa Renewal 2013).
• By 2050, Africa will have become 56 per cent urban, making the continent’s urbanization the most rapid in the world (UN DESA 2014).
7.5 Conclusion
African youth are the biggest stakeholders in Africa’s green future. What they do today will have a massive impact on their continent’s tomorrow. As such, the future of Africa is in their hands. The time has come for them to be on the frontlines of building a great future where natural resources will be replenished sustainably and green jobs will abound in each of Africa’s 54 countries.
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Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2011). Why Has Africa Become A Net Food Importer?. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome.
http://www.fao.org/3/a-i2497e.pdf.
International Labour Organization (2015). Global Employment Trends for Youth 2015: Scaling up investments in decent jobs for youth.
https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---dcomm/---publ/documents/ publication/wcms_412015.pdf. Ncube, N. (2018). ‘Africa Harnessing the demographic dividend’, The Herald, 3 April.
https://www.herald.co.zw/africa-harnessing-the-demographic-dividend/. Ohimain (2007). Can the Nigerian biofuel policy and incentives (2007) transform Nigeria into a biofuel economy?, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 22(June 2013), 246-256.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2013.01.037. Sustainable Energy for All (2015). Sustainable Energy for All Africa Hub Annual Report 2014-2015.
https://www.seforall.org/news/sites/default/files/l/2015/10/SE4AllAR_web.pdf.
United Nations, Africa Renewal (2013). Africa's jobless youth cast a shadow over economic growth.
https://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/special-edition-youth-2017/africas-jobless-youth-cast-shadow-over-economic- growth. Accessed on July 2018. United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs (2014). World Urbanization Prospects: The 2014 Revision, Highlights.
https://population.un.org/wup/Publications/Files/WUP2018-Highlights.pdf.
United Nations Development Programme (2017). Rapid urbanisation: opportunities and challenges to improve the well-being of societies, 6 September.
http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/rapid-urbanisation-opportunities-and- challenges-improve-well-being-societies. Accessed on 9 July 2018. United Nations, Office of the Special Adviser on Africa (2015).
https://www.un.org/en/africa/osaa/peace/youth.shtml. Accessed 19 June 2019. World Group (2019). World Development Indicators. Accessed 24 September 2019.
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A Positive Outlook
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