Two beneficiaries from the ACP-EU Minerals Development Programme are growing their business while contributing to environmental sustainability and social inclusion
Apollo Buregyeya
Apollo Buregyeya is the Founder and CEO of Eco Concrete Ltd, a Ugandan firm in housing construction.
He is also lectures at the Makerere University in Uganda. Eco Concrete Ltd. has developed “green” cement (geopolymer cement) which relies on local materials and has 80-90% less emissions compared to conventional cement. This low-carbon cement has already been deployed in Uganda’s construction industry. This inspiring entrepreneur describes his initiative in simple words: “Africa’s vast and growing urban population requires housing and infrastructure. Innovations in building materials and use of local materials are essential to bring down the cost of housing and put Africa on a low-carbon pathway.”
Ibrahim Djagra
Ibrahim Djagra is the President and Coordinator of the Association of Dynamic Youth for the Emergence of Cameroon (AJDEC). Coming from the Far North of Cameroon, affected by climate change and insecurity due to the Boko Haram insurgency in neighbouring Nigeria, Ibrahim is deeply committed to rebuilding lives and bringing lasting peace to this area. “It is up to us, young people, to rebuild our communities affected by Boko Haram conflict. For our Youth Association, building housing with eco-friendly bricks is a social action, an ecological action, and a means to improve living conditions for ourselves and our communities” states this young social entrepreneur. After attending trainings with the support of the ACP-EU Development Minerals Programme, he has turned the idea of making stabilized, low-carbon brick production into action. Under his initiative “Bricks of Hope”, over 5000 young men and women have been trained in the production of eco-friendly stabilized earth bricks and over 70 public buildings were built – such as schools, hospitals and agricultural storages.