Wecyclers wins 200,000Euros prize money in waste management.

Wecyclers, a Lagos-Based
waste recycling company founded by Mrs Bilikiss Adebiyi-Abiola in 2012, has won
the 2019 King Baudouin African Development Prize worth €200,000 (N104 million)
for its development work in Africa. 

Herve Lisoir, Coordinator Africa and Developing countries,
King Baudouin Foundation, told newsmen on Wednesday that Wecyclers won the
prize for its contribution to solving waste management problems not only in
Nigeria but Africa.

“We selected Wecyclers because we know that waste management
is an issue for Lagos, Africa and Europe. We celebrate your innovation,
perseverance and keeping it real,” Lisoir said.

He noted that the prize aimed to acknowledge the work of
African persons or organisations which have made an exemplary contribution to
development in Africa.

According to him, the prize recognises initiatives that
improve quality of life and empower local people to take their future into
their own hands.

Mrs Bilikiss Adebiyi-Abiola, Founder, Wecyclers, said that
the organisation has not only shown the people of Lagos the value of recycling,
but helped to improve lives and the environment.

She said that as a start-up, her passion was about helping to
solve the waste challenges facing Africa, and thanked King Baudouin Foundation
for its support and the award.

Wale Adebiyi, Chief Executive Officer, Wecyclers, said that
it had collected about 5000 tonnes of recyclable waste since 2012, given over
$100, 000 as incentives, and have over 17,000 subscribers.

He said that the company averaged four tonnes of plastics
daily, which did not contribute to ocean pollution and ruin the ecosystem.

Adebiyi acknowledged that there were challenges of human
capital issues, funding and bureaucracy confronting the recycling industry.

He said that there were plans to expand WeCyclers beyond the
seven local government areas it presently covers in Lagos, and even go beyond
Nigeria.

The award was part of the “Silicon Lagoon Mission” that has a
team of Belgian start-ups, scale-ups, corporations and NGOs visit different
Nigerian companies domiciled in Lagos.

The Belgian delegates were led by Minister Philippe De
Backer, Belgium Minister of Digital Agenda, Telecommunications and Post Office
on a visit which holds between March 20 to 24.

Some of the places to be visited are Tony Elumelu Foundation,
CCHub, Facebook Artificial intelligence Hub, LifeBank, Jumia, Youth for
Technology Foundation (YTF), MEST Incubator and IFC (World Bank).

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