NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

The following video is one in a series from ViewChange, a multimedia organization managed by LinkTV and founded with support by the Gates Foundation, that is producing and procuring educational and inspiring videos from across the developing world. NextBillion is partnering with ViewChange to share these stories of enterpreneurship against the odds with the NextBillion community. The following blog post was submitted by Africa Interactive, which produced the video below.

Plastic waste is an enormous problem in the West African country Ghana. Everywhere you look, the streets are littered with empty water bags and bottles. The Dutch-Ghanaian recycling company Cyclus has found a way to create a cleaner environment, create jobs and make profit from waste at the same time.

Cyclus, a company in the coastal town Elmina, collects waste from households, hotels, and restaurants, as well as recycle waste from the industry. The collecting, sorting, assembling and transportation of the plastic waste is a business on its own. More than 500 people are involved in the process, many of whom would otherwise be without a job. The plastic is being turned into fibre, which is used to make a variety of products, including jeans, jackets, carpets and tennis balls. Clients include the local metal industry in Ghana and international fibre companies.

Spark Africa

Spark Africa is a 20-episode video series dedicated to sustainable economic developments and innovative projects in Africa. Each episode shows the ’spark’ of potential entrepreneurs who think about African solutions for African problems. Examples of foreign businesses who successfully invest in African countries are also shown. Spark Africa shows the energy, innovation and opportunities of the continent. All items are made by freelance African camera men/women, presenters and technicians in Algeria, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

Africa Interactive

Initiator of this series is Dutch media company Africa Interactive, a social venture that works with a network of 2000 local media professionals throughout Africa and produces content for organizations that want to communicate about or to Africa.

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