AfriTech Constr.

Transforming Eco-Threatening Plastic Wastes From Single-Use Packaging Into Affordable Lifetime Use Housing For An Affordable And Sustainable Planet For All.

Globally, our planet is suffering ecologically from our habits towards waste management and global warming. Parallel to the ecological crisis in the world, the increasing cost of housing affordability has been increasing the population's cost of living, thereby impacting the society's economy.

According to the United Nations Development Program statistics, the world has accumulated around 7 billion tonnes of plastic waste. Each year, 400 million tonnes of plastic waste are produced, and about 11 million tonnes of it end up in our oceans. Half of all plastics made are designed for single-use purposes; hence they end up most of the time in our trashcans as soon as they accomplish their goal. Only 10% of the cumulated waste has been recycled. This recycling rate leaves a massive amount of untreated plastic waste that reduces our ecosystem's ability to adapt to climate change, directly affecting millions of people's livelihoods, food production capabilities, and social well-being, the United Nations Environment Programme says.

On the other hand, the World Economic Forum states, "housing is a basic human need. But a lack of affordable housing to buy or rent fuels a global housing crisis." In most countries, housing costs have grown faster than income, and a 2025 forecast predicts that 1.6 billion people are expected to be affected by the global housing shortage, according to the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, respectively.

To live on an affordable and sustainable planet, there is an urge to solve the problems mentioned above. Hence, new methods or techniques need to be brought up to meet the demand.

AfriTech Constr. brings to the tech ecosystem a new perspective to solve the issues mentioned earlier. A semi-automated process or system to collect and transform plastic wastes into 3D-printed housing units.

The collection of plastic waste worldwide using assisted terrestrial robots and aqua-drones manufactured by the company is our primary and core step. This plastic waste will be used to construct "eco-friendly plastic houses."

The plastic waste is broken down, then melted and blended with sand to produce a concrete-like material. This material will be used in a full-scale 3D printer. The end product will be a 3D-printed/constructed ecological and affordable lodging for the community.

AfriTech Constr. solution serves the global community, particularly Africa, which suffers significantly from plastic waste pollution. Our burgeoning cities, coastlines, and rural areas are heavily polluted with tossed plastic packaging and other plastic waste. This renders our towns, cities, and rural regions less attractive and dirty in appearance. Hence, our solution will aid in keeping our places cleaner and more inviting.

With a present recycling rate of approximately 10% globally, we believe this solution will exponentially increase the recycling rate due to the high demand for housing supply.

The price of housing is increasing with time across the world; our solution will bring financial satisfaction to our clients, who will have the cost of renting or buying a house from us at a fraction of the standard price, and they will be engaged indirectly in the financing of plastic waste collection.

Consequently, the solution is creating a system promoting ecological awareness and a sustainable environment while maintaining the production of our well-used plastic packaging.

My name is Karol Charles Konarski, and I am from Cameroon. I am a young, dynamic, and worthy final-year undergraduate student at the Faculty of Engineering and Technology studying Electrical and Electronic Engineering, specializing in Power Systems. As a one-person team, I have the zeal and the determination to bring positive and impactful change in the world.

I strongly believe in the ideal of team-working, and in the nearest future, I hope to form a diverse and robust team to bring this project to a good end.

I volunteered during my first university years in local communities and tech organizations. I had sufficient time to examine what was disturbing our families and communities. In those years, I've been in leadership roles, working field roles, tutoring, mentoring, and understanding hundreds of people around me. I've developed skills like public speaking, leadership, and technical experience, and I believe I can do much more today if given the opportunity.

I come from a widow-mom family of four children, and the dream of constructing a house has been a difficult target with time. At a very young age, I was pushed to understand how important it is for a family to have a roof over one's head. While meeting the actual need or demand, an affordable house to rent is relatively not accessible to everyone, creating financial deficits for other activities.

I grew up having a portrait of what other families globally face every day, and I've searched for ways to elucidate this.

During my first year at the University of Buea, I volunteered at "Go-Green Tech," an ecological startup and organization that aimed to promote a greener life using tech skills. Later on, I volunteered up-to-date in an uprising organization, Nervtek Organization. We aim to transform ideas into innovations while leveraging technology to create a sustainable impact.

In addition, through the most incredible tool nowadays, the Internet, it is easier and faster to research and obtain opinions and statistics. I've acquired a majority of information through its use from institutions like the United Nations and its tasked agency, the World Economic Forum, etc.

The idealization of "plastic houses" is not new in the African continent. In Ghana, Cameroon, and other parts of the continent, entrepreneurs have converted plastic waste into bricks, pavers, and blocks.

AfriTech Constr. skips the process of brick formation from plastic waste through the use of 3D-printing technology. This implies a new way of using the great virtues of concrete made from plastic waste.

How is it catalytic? The following points bring more light:

- "A healthy cleaning way," through the use of semi-automated designed terrestrial robots and aqua-drones, the collection of plastic waste is cleaner, not exposing the operator to germs, bacteria, or microorganisms life.

- "An ecological approach," our solution using vast amounts of plastic waste, will help in its rapid collection and the reduction of pollution in our communities, hence creating a greener and cleaner planet.

- "Lifetime housing," plastic waste has a low decaying rate, blended into the "concrete," providing the market with everlasting solidity and lifetime material for construction. 

- "Affordable housing," this solution kicks in with incredible pricing for housing, which comes at a fraction of the price of a standard concrete house.

- Our solution enhances the technical job market by creating employment in the STEM section.

- "Time is money," the use of full-scale 3D printers helps us construct houses quickly; hence less money is spent.

- There's less wastage of material ever since everything is computed and foreseen through computer-aided design technology.

For the year 2023, AfriTech Constr. scheduled their first months of the year to the realization of the prototypes of terrestrial robots and aqua-drones to promote and engage the communities in the collection of plastic waste. In a point format, we present our roadmap;

-Terrestrial robot prototype manufacture (January - February)

-Demo session at Limbe coasts (Downbeach precisely) with a local authority invitation (February - March)

-Youth awareness and workshop (March)

-MIT Solve Summit (May - Optimistic)

-Employment Creation, +50 job creations during the first year(July - December)

-Partnership Creation (Whole Year)

-Construction of the First Ecological 3D-printed house (December)

AfriTech Constr. solution is based on existing technology. The leading technology is automation. Furthermore, our concept divides automation into two (2) different processes. The first process is entitled "The Collection Process," and the second is entitled "The Construction Process."

For the collection process, we have encountered using semi-automated or assisted terrestrial robots and aqua-drones (aquatic drones/waterproof drones) for the picking of plastic waste. The robots will be exposed to polluted environments for preening the area and appropriate disposal of plastic waste.

For the construction process, AfriTech Constr. brings in an innovative building method... Using our plastic waste to 3D print in large-scale housing units. With the use of Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software, the project will be previewed before the construction.

8000000000 people by 2024.

Financial barriers may limit my impact in the next year. To accomplish a global goal, more funds are needed.

The technical barrier will limit our impact in a short period. Given that the solution is in a concept phase, there is a need for appropriate testing before moving into the market.

Africa is a continent accepting innovative and technological changes; hence legal barriers would not be much to limit our impact in the next year.

There is a quote that says "A habit cannot be tossed out the window; it must be coaxed down the stairs a step at a time." We believe at AfriTech Constr. that cultural barriers, habits, or beliefs may limit our impact. The population is used to the construction of their homes via old methods; hence conveying a new method shall take time.

None for the moment; we seek long-term partners who'll help AfriTech Constr. attain the main objectives while creating a sustainable system.