MTN, in collaboration with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and strategic partners, has announced the winners of the 2025 Africa PachiPanda Challenge, concluding a continent-wide search for youth-led environmental enterprises driving Africa’s green economy. The competition attracted 2,484 small and medium enterprises from multiple African countries, focusing on the theme “Nourishing Tomorrow: Innovation for Food, Energy and Water Security” and promoting commercially viable solutions addressing environmental pressures while supporting inclusive, low-carbon growth.
The top three winners were Arnaud Njita from Cameroon for nTron STEM Kit, which converts plastic waste into 3D-printing filament for STEM education; Ndaman Joshua Olayinka from Nigeria for BuyScrap, a tech-enabled e-waste recycling platform; and Bill Agha from Cameroon for AgriCheck, a climate-smart digital agriculture solution. MTN emphasized that the challenge highlights Africa’s youth not only responding to climate change but actively shaping solutions that can scale environmental impact and unlock economic opportunities.
The PachiPanda Challenge underscores the growing potential of Africa’s climate economy, particularly in agriculture, renewable energy, and water security, which remain constrained by land degradation, limited irrigation, and climate volatility. The programme supports entrepreneurs with funding, mentorship, and governance guidance to develop investment-ready enterprises that create jobs and measurable environmental benefits.
Additional awards recognized outstanding contributions to circular economy and waste-to-value innovations. Flame Innovation Zambia won both the Thematic Excellence Award and the Ubuntu Award for transforming waste into clean-energy alternatives. The EcoDrop Project from Uganda received the Baobab Growth Award for an incentive-based recycling model that rewards communities for responsible plastic disposal.
Winners will receive funding to support the next stage of growth, along with structured mentoring from Deloitte to enhance governance and investment readiness. Finalists will also participate in an executive immersion hosted by Wits Business School, designed to expose them to leadership and enterprise development frameworks to scale their environmental solutions across Africa.
