Cabalou and Congo Plast win Congo Basin start-up prize
The Osiane exhibition on digital innovation closed on 26 April in Brazzaville with the announcement of the results of the Congo Basin Start-up Challenge. Among the winners of this eighth edition was Congo Plast, a company that recycles plastic waste in Congolese cities.
Taking part in the Congo Basin Start-up Challenge was more than just fun, as the first two winners walked away with 5 million CFA francs (7,600 euros) each. The winners were Cabalou, a travel company based in Libreville, Gabon, and the start-up Congo Plast.
The latter has set itself the task of gradually ridding Congolese towns of their plastic waste. Brazzaville alone generates up to 300 tonnes a day. Enough to develop a recycling industry. To achieve this, Congo Plast is raising people’s awareness of the need to collect waste and is relying more on cutting-edge technologies to give a second life to discarded bottles, bags and other objects.
The start-up Congo Plast offers solutions “based on the circular economy, with the aim of reducing the environmental impact of plastic. To this end, we transform this waste into recycled raw materials and construction materials such as high-quality stones, paving stones, tiles and tiles”, says the start-up headed by Henri Mercy Diele.
This approach was rewarded at the eighth Osiane trade fair, held from 23 to 26 April 2024 in the Congolese capital. The event is organised by the Pratic association, which specialises in digital connectivity, and ARPCE, the telecommunications regulator in the Republic of Congo. It aims to encourage Central African entrepreneurs to take advantage of digital solutions in their investments in sustainable development.
