GREEN TECH AFRICA

 Green Tech Africa is a start-up whose objective is to set up Africa's first biorefinery for the world's most invasive plant, the water hyacinth, starting in Congo Brazzaville. We are exploiting its high absorption capacity for the production of absorbent fibres for cleaning industrial sites. 

We are currently facing problems of financing needs to acquire more efficient production lines that meet international standards in order to meet the demand of our market, financing for research and development to improve the quality of our products and services, financing for working capital to run our business and financing for training in cleaning techniques and mastery of bioremediation processes. In addition to this the procedures for cleaning up industrial sites require considerable logistical resources, documentation and authorisations that we cannot afford at present.

If we win this award we will be able to be active players in the fight to stop the proliferation of the water hyacinth by developing an ecological industry that benefits not only the population that is the victim of the proliferation of the water hyacinth but also pioneers in the fight against pollution from oil spills on land and at sea. 

This concept actually stems from the compassion we showed when we visited our grandparents in the village and noticed their inability to deal with this scourge that was stopping their only lucrative activity. Since October 2018 we have formed a dynamic team with which we have decided to find the solution to this plague. Thanks to our hard work and determination to keep moving forward, we were awarded the prize for the most penurious project with a financing plan at the Africa Entrepreneurship Awards in Morocco in  December 2018. Having obtained the first tranche of subsidies, we were able to set up a production line for absorbent fibre.

The daily smiles we see on the faces of the children, fathers and mothers who can now resume their activities or take the place of water hyacinth harvesters encourage us to surpass ourselves and make this solution a convenience in order to keep the smile on the faces of these formerly disadvantaged populations. This has led us to diversify our use of water hyacinth into industrial absorbents, bio-fertilisers, soil bio-remediation products, cattle feed and bio-energy.

The water hyacinth is an exogenous aquatic plant that is a scourge for the environment and for all people living in Africa. Half of the Congo River is invaded by this scourge and it is installed in all tropical countries. Its high reproductive capacity makes it the most invasive plant in the world (10 plants can produce 800,000 others in less than eight months), forming a carpet on the surface of the water and causing Obstruction of river transport; Oxygen depletion in lakes killing entire aquatic ecosystems; Blockage of canals and rivers causing flooding; Micro-habitat for a variety of disease vectors; Fishing problems introducing famine in villages dependent on aquatic activities for their livelihoods, such as my home village Banga Cayo in the south of the country.

Of the 40,000 km of African coastline, up to 38% is considered highly threatened, including 68% of marine protected areas. however, sea pollution from large coastal cities has even reached toxic levels. This implies that more emphasis needs to be placed on protected areas. These are sometimes developed as a result of works or uncontrolled urbanisation. The Republic of Congo has around 36,500 km2 of protected areas,  11.6% of the national territory.

We turn a plague into an ecological solution 

Based on the scourge of the water hyacinth, the company designs, manufactures and markets 100% organic and recyclable absorbents for professionals to control the leakage of polluting products. The eco-technologies developed are intended for the local and international market.we help companies to instantly absorb and recover all kinds of industrial liquids while limiting the harmful consequences of leaks, accidental spills of dirty or polluting liquid products in order to maintain a clean and safe working environment. 

In a circular economy approach, we recycle the hydrocarbon-soaked fibrous waste we previously pressed into hydrocarbon and sell it to oil recyclers. We then turn the waste from pressing the hydrocarbon-soaked fibre into an alternative fuel for companies with high heat requirements, for example for heat transfer fluid processes. 

The problems of pollution due to hydrocarbon spills are great and present in Congo Brazzaville; thanks to the small means we have at our disposal, the challenge "to make oil producers in Congo  vectors of environmental preservation" gives us the strength to surpass ourselves daily with a policy of research, innovation and development.

with the water hyacinth harvest we are transforming a plague (curse) into an economic resource that villagers saw their only lucrative activities stopped by the attack of this prolific plant that invades the lakes, preventing navigation and the development of fish, therefore no fishing.

The former fishermen and their wives who  are our partners, who have substituted themselves as explorers and collectors of hyacinth and we pay them as suppliers of raw materials (jacinthe d'eau) .

In view of the fact that our sales history does not follow any logic and that we are currently in a situation of uncertainty, where information on demand is not available and the trends in the activities of our prospects are partly dictated by the behaviour of the health crisis, the classic decision-making and forecasting models, according to which we have to use conventional methods (extreme point method, moving average, exponential smoothing) in order to gain an insight into demand, prove to be less realistic

This uncertainty is characterised by a situation that is so new that there is no equivalent to refer to and little information available for a rational sales forecast.