Cape Town — Ghana and Kenyan innovators were among the five winners of the Earthshot Prize for their innovative solutions to help repair our planet.
Ghana's Green Africa Youth Organization (GAYO) won in the Clean Our Air category and Kenya's Keep IT Cool took home the prize for Build a Waste-Free World. They were selected from 15 innovators and entrepreneurs named 2024 Earthshot Prize Finalists and each received a £1 million (U.S.$1.2 million) prize to help scale their solutions. They work across six continents, protecting and restoring the environment while supporting local communities. This prize is intended to discover 50 winners over 10 years who can repair the planet.
"But we are Kenyans, we had to win."
Kenyan entrepreneur Francis Nderitu founded Keep IT Cool (KIC) to provide cooling services and redefine how perishable goods are distributed across the country. (KIC) supplies sustainable, localized refrigeration systems to small farmers and fishermen to prevent food spoilage. KIC reduces spoilage and waste by placing solar-powered cold storage units where fish are landed and managing their transportation to market. The company is now expanding its poultry, fruit, and vegetable activities and aiming to reach more communities in East Africa and beyond.
While accepting his prize, Nderitu expressed heartfelt gratitude to God, his family, and the investors who believed in his mission for their unwavering support.
He also acknowledged the nominators, Katapult Ocean and the Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation, and saluted his fellow finalists, saying, "We are all in the same marathon, running for different causes, but with the same purpose - to save Mother Earth." He added a light-hearted note, "But we Kenyans, we had to win."
"We are on a mission to revolutionize the food supply chain in East Africa. We are grateful for the recognition from The Earthshot Prize, and it is an important milestone for Keep IT Cool. We will continue to enhance market access, reduce waste, and build climate resilience for small-scale fish and poultry farmers throughout the region," said Nderitu.
"We are incredibly honored to be winning the Prize, which is a testament to the power of community-driven solutions and the importance of empowering those most affected by climate challenges. Our work in Ghana demonstrates that sustainable waste management isn't just a possibility - it's a necessity. The recognition by The Earthshot Prize fuels our commitment to replicating these models across Africa, proving that local solutions can have global impacts," said Alugnoa.
"We believe the best solutions and the best minds are usually those closest to the problem."
"About five years ago, GAYO was progressing, but very slowly. I had to make the tough decision to return from Germany, and a lot of people thought that was a crazy idea," said Desmond Alugnoa, the Co-Founder of the Green Africa Youth Organization (GAYO). "But we believe that the best solutions, the best minds, are normally the ones who are closer to the problem."
GAYO uses its "Zero Waste Model" to drive behavioral change in waste management practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and particle pollution, while also bringing additional income to communities. Their goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and particle pollution in Ghana by 70% by 2030, compared to open burning, and divert 4,000 tonnes of waste. GAYO plans to scale up which would make them the leading waste management model on the continent.
"We are incredibly honored to be winning the Prize, which is a testament to the power of community-driven solutions and the importance of empowering those most affected by climate challenges. Our work in Ghana demonstrates that sustainable waste management isn't just a possibility - it's a necessity. The recognition by The Earthshot Prize fuels our commitment to replicating these models across Africa, proving that local solutions can have global impacts," said Alugnoa.
Alugnoa dedicated the achievement, saying, "This is to the youth of Africa and the youth around the world."
The other winners were High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People in the category Fix Our Climate, Advanced Thermovoltaic Systems in the category Revive Our Oceans, and Alytn Dala Conservation Initiative in the category Protect and Restore Nature.
The Earthshot Prize was launched by Prince William in 2020 to find and scale innovative solutions to global environmental problems.
"My ambition was to champion the spirit of ingenuity that put a man on the moon within 10 years…to find solutions to repair our planet and provide real hope for the future," said the Prince of Wales. "It was an idea that first came to me on African soil. During a trip to Namibia and Tanzania, I was lucky enough to see some of the stunning wildlife that calls this continent home."
"I'm delighted to see the Earthshot Prize return to the continent where it all started. The continent that despite contributing the least to global warming, is amongst the most vulnerable to its impact."
"But what struck me was the incredible impact local people were having on the environment around them. Thanks to their ingenuity and creativity, biodiversity was returning, animals were being protected and jobs were being created. I saw firsthand the extent to which people were dedicating their time, talent, and vision to fixing environmental challenges." he said. "That is why the Earthshot Prize exists - to champion the game changers, the inventors, the makers, the creatives, the leaders." "We want to make this the decade in which we transform the world for good, one solution at a time, from the ground up," said the Prince.
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Prince William concluded the ceremony by saying Africa is a hub of creativity and innovation that will solve our planet's toughest environmental challenges.
"From every walk of life, who share an ambition to build a better, more sustainable world. We'll do everything we can to support them and help speed their solutions to scale. Because when they succeed, we all succeed. When they thrive, we all thrive. And when they win, we all win," he said.
The fourth Earthshot Prize ceremony was held in Cape Town and was hosted by Emmy-winning actor Billy Porter and South African television presenter Bonang Matheba. Several celebrities were in attendance, including former Springbok Tendai 'Beast' Mtawarira, models Heidi Klum and Winnie Harlow, actor Nina Dobrev, and artist Tobe Nwigwe, who announced the winners of each category.
In lieu of a traditional red carpet, all 2,000 attendees wore sustainable clothes - either from recycled materials or an outfit they previously wore.
