“African innovation can create solutions that are not only commercially viable, but also meaningful for our communities and our planet.”
– Mattie’s Success (Botswana), 2026 Southern Africa FNF Afri GreenPitch Challenge runner-up.
Nine green economy solutions from Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and South Africa were in the spotlight at the 2026 FNF Afri GreenPitch Challenge pitch day, hosted in Cape Town on 3 September by GreenCape and Westerwelle Startup Haus Mombasa, in partnership with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF). Marking a historic expansion of the challenge, the 2026 iteration transitioned from a national competition to a cross-African platform, attracting approximately 310 entries from green Small, Medium, and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) across Botswana, eSwatini, Kenya, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, and Tanzania.
These innovators presented pioneering business solutions across the circular economy and waste, renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, sustainable mobility, water, and wastewater sectors. After a heated deliberation between the panel of exceptional judges, with representatives from DBSA, Keyo Ventures, Westerwelle Foundation, Savant, Viridian and Ocean Hub Africa, the winners and runner-up were announced:
Winner: Pee-Cycling from South Africa, who uses a highly energy-efficient process to convert source-separated human urine into valuable NPK fertiliser and clean, non-potable water.
“The FNF Afri GreenPitch Challenge gave us access to people and expertise we would not otherwise have had and pushed us to think harder about how we grow. Winning is a real boost for the team, and it comes at exactly the right moment as we move towards our first commercial urine-to-fertiliser plant,” said Dyllon Randall, representing Pee-Cycling from South Africa.
Runner-up and People’s Pick Award: Mattie’s Success from Botswana, who transforms banana stem agricultural waste into safe, biodegradable hair braiding fibre, eliminating toxic chemicals found in synthetic alternatives.
“Winning both Second Place and the People’s Choice Award at the Afri GreenPitch Challenge is an incredible honour and a meaningful validation of our mission at Mattie’s Success. This experience has given me the opportunity to share our vision for transforming banana agricultural waste into sustainable, biodegradable hair fibre, while connecting with inspiring entrepreneurs and changemakers across Africa. The People’s Pick Award is especially meaningful because it shows that our story and solution resonated with the people. These two awards have strengthened my belief that African innovation can create solutions that are not only commercially viable, but also meaningful for our communities and our planet. I am deeply grateful to the Afri GreenPitch Challenge for believing in and amplifying our journey,” said Matlhogonolo Seadimo, representing Mattie’s Success from Botswana.
ReSurfify walked away with the regional Western Cape prize, sponsored by LaunchLab. They transform vegetable oil refinery waste into affordable, high-performance biosurfactants using a fermentation-based process, making sustainable, green ingredients accessible at scale for the global formulation industry. “The best part of the Afri GreenPitch Challenge was the people. Getting to meet the other teams, hear their stories, and learn from founders working through the same challenges we face was just as valuable as the pitch itself. Winning our regional category is a real honour, and we are deeply grateful to organisations like GreenCape and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation that support early-stage African innovators to push toward their goals of building an independent bioeconomy in Africa,” said Andre Valkenburg.
“For a green business the hardest stretch is rarely the idea, it is the journey from first customer to first factory. That stretch is the pioneer gap, and the FNF Afri GreenPitch Challenge exists to close it, opening the way to investment in the green economy and the jobs that follow. Today in Cape Town we celebrated that innovation, and we now pass the baton to our East Africa partners for Nairobi on 25 September, where nine more founders take their turn in front of investors,” said Lisa Johannson, GreenCape.
The East Africa pitch event will be hosted on 25 September in Nairobi.
The 2026 Afri GreenPitch Challenge has highlighted how critical cross-border collaboration is in addressing the continent’s climate and economic challenges. Kwezi Sogoni, Programme Manager at FNF, reflected on this milestone: “The expansion of the FNF Afri GreenPitch Challenge beyond South Africa marks an exciting new chapter for green innovation on the continent. From Table Mountain to Kilimanjaro and Mount Kenya, this partnership is helping to build a stronger cross-African ecosystem for entrepreneurs developing practical solutions to Africa’s sustainability challenges. This expanded partnership reflects FNF’s commitment to empowering entrepreneurs, advancing regional collaboration and supporting market-driven solutions for Africa’s green future.”
Mercy Mukulu, Programme Coordinator at Westerwelle Foundation Kenya, emphasised the grassroots nature of the innovation: “It has been great to see the wide range of enterprises interested in the FNF Afri GreenPitch Challenge and the valuable work they are doing in their communities. Their applications showed us how much innovation and sustainability are already happening across the continent, often driven by founders solving problems they have lived through themselves. Moving forward, we’re proud and excited to see these founders build and grow to greater heights.”
Cayla-Ray Hammond, Private Equity Transactor at RMB Ventures, noted: “It was a privilege to support this challenge and the remarkable entrepreneurs developing innovative solutions to Africa’s sustainability challenges. This year’s finalists demonstrated not only the depth of entrepreneurial talent across the continent, but also the power of innovation to create meaningful economic, social and environmental impact. We congratulate the winners and finalists on their achievements and look forward to following their continued success.”
Mike Mulcahy, CEO of GreenCape, highlighted the journey of the challenge: “From its first iteration, as a desperate search for innovation to deal with the Day Zero drought in Cape Town, the GreenPitch challenge has grown into a launchpad for SMMEs in the green economy. The SMMEs are from broader categories and now from multiple countries, but the desperation to find solutions that create jobs and put our economies on a climate-smart trajectory remains.”
The organisers, judges, and corporate sponsors congratulate all the winners and participants of the 2026 FNF Afri GreenPitch Challenge for their outstanding contributions to Africa’s sustainable, climate-smart future.
The winners and runners-up have been awarded a share of cash and in-kind prizes to the total value of ~$20 000, with the Southern Africa cash prize proudly sponsored by RMB Ventures, and in-kind prizes from The Ethical Agency and a regional cash prize from LaunchLab.
About GreenCape: GreenCape is a non-profit organisation that drives the widespread adoption of economically viable green economy solutions from South Africa. The team works with businesses, investors, academia and government to unlock the investment and employment potential of green technologies and services, and to support a transition to a resilient green economy. GreenCape’s vision is to create a thriving and prosperous Africa using green economy principles.
Website: www.green-cape.co.za
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/green-cape/
For media inquiries
Contact: Cilnette Pienaar, Head: Communications and Publishing
Email: cilnette@greencape.co.za
About: The Westerwelle Foundation for International Understanding is a non-profit organisation based in Berlin, Germany. Our mission is to create equal opportunities for all by uplifting emerging markets through empowered entrepreneurship. Opened in 2025, WSH (Westerwelle Startup Haus) Mombasa is shaping Kenya’s coastal innovation ecosystem by supporting entrepreneurs, startups, and innovators through community building, capacity development, mentorship, and access to local and international networks. Working across sectors ranging from the Blue Economy to creative entrepreneurship, WSH Mombasa serves as a platform for collaboration, innovation, and sustainable economic growth along Kenya’s coast.
Website: https://westerwelle-foundation.com/locations/wsh-mombasa/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/westerwellefoundation
For media inquiries
Contact: Samuel Kageni, Community and Marketing Coordinator
Email: samuel.kageni@westerwelle.haus
Meet the 2026 FNF Afri GreenPitch finalists (listed in alphabetical order):
East Africa Top 9
Chemichemi Green Organics (Kenya) | Circular economy and waste: Restores degraded soils, increases farmers yields and protects the environment through local production of organic inputs from recycled organic waste.
Ecorich Solutions Limited (Kenya) | Circular economy and waste, Sustainable agriculture: A climate-tech/agritech company that transforms organic waste into organic fertiliser within 24 hours using a proprietary innovation called the Wastebot.
Eden Recyclers (Kenya) | Circular economy and waste: A circular economy venture converting paper waste majorly from schools into affordable, eco-friendly products for learners, including black shoe polish.
Imani Collective (Kenya) | Circular economy and waste, Renewable energy: A Kenya-based sustainable design firm creating handcrafted home décor and lifestyle products through circular manufacturing and dignified artisan employment.
Mukaia Carbon Hub (Kenya) | Water and wastewater: Leverages AI, satellite imagery, and environmental monitoring technologies to enable ecosystem restoration, carbon project development and climate finance access for African communities.
Ngwala Inventions (Tanzania) | Sustainable agriculture: AI-powered, circular bio-inputs and solar-automated dispensing systems delivering affordable, safe, climate-smart, dual-action biofertiliser and biopesticides to farmers through pay-as-you-go and after- harvest model
Plant Natural Feed Limited (Tanzania) | Circular economy and waste, Sustainable agriculture: A Tanzanian climate-tech company converting waste biomass into activated biochar fertilisers through biotechnology and circular economy solutions to restore soil health, improve farmer productivity and promote climate-smart agriculture.
Pollen Patrollers (Kenya) | Sustainable agriculture: Africa’s first precision pollination company, combining IoT smart hives and AI-driven pollination services to boost crop yields and beekeeper incomes for smallholder farmers across East Africa.
Seta Farm Limited (Kenya) | Sustainable agriculture: Circular economy and waste: A decentralised circular agritech transforming agricultural waste into mushrooms and farmer income.
Southern Africa Top 9
EBIKES4AFRICA (Namibia) | Electric mobility: Builds the African BushBike, a rugged, solar-ready utility e-bike that provides affordable, off-road clean mobility for African farms, communities and businesses.
Flushh (Namibia) | Water and wastewater: Tackles sanitation challenges with a waterless, circular sanitation-as-a-service model that conserves water and transforms waste into valuable resources.
Green Brine Technologies (Namibia) | Circular economy; Water and wastewater: Desalinates industrial wastewater to locally manufacture high-purity chemicals, replacing vulnerable imports with a circular regional economy.
Kaeane Renewable Energy Developers (Lesotho) | Renewable energy; Circular economy: Deploys fixed dome biogas systems to transform organic waste into clean cooking energy and high-quality biofertiliser for communities in Lesotho.
[RUNNER-UP] Mattie’s Success (Pty) Ltd (Botswana) | Circular economy: Transforms banana stem agricultural waste into safe, biodegradable hair braiding fibre, eliminating toxic chemicals found in synthetic alternatives.
Organic Naturals (Pty) Ltd (Botswana) | Circular economy: Upcycles indigenous orphan crops into active skincare products by combining traditional knowledge, science and technology.
[WINNER] PeeCycling (South Africa) | Circular economy; Water and wastewater: Uses a highly energy-efficient process to convert source-separated human urine into valuable NPK fertiliser and clean, non-potable water.
Preserve Botanica (South Africa) | Circular economy: Supplies bulk hop oils manufactured from fresh hop waste, supporting sustainability and circular economy initiatives for major global brewers.
[REGIONAL PRIZE WINNER] ReSurfify (South Africa) | Circular economy: Transforms vegetable oil refinery waste into affordable, high-performance biosurfactants using a fermentation-based process, making sustainable, green ingredients accessible at scale for the global formulation industry.
