A platform where sustainability meets entrepreneurship, where research meets impact and where young South Africans are empowered to build tomorrow’s green industries
South Africa generates more than 125 metric tons (Mt) of solid waste annually, most of which ends up in landfill sites[i]. Waste innovation ideas are therefore critical for environmental protection, conserving valuable resources, driving economic growth and safeguarding human health.
At the 2025 National Awards event of the Entrepreneurship Development in Higher Education (EDHE) programme in Gauteng, on 26 November, the audience heard that the Mr Price Foundation would be sponsoring the EDHE Mr Price Foundation Waste Innovation Challenge, to be implemented in 2026, with a R1.3 million sponsorship.
This comes as former Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Dr Dion George, emphasised in a report in September this year, that South Africa’s waste and renewable energy reforms are turning environmental policy into a source of jobs and investment.
“What many people call waste should be seen as wealth. By managing waste and energy wisely, we can create thousands of jobs, attract billions in investment and build a resilient economy. Waste (is) the raw material of a new economy. Every recycling enterprise is a step towards inclusive prosperity,” he said.
EDHE, a programme that aims to develop the entrepreneurial capacity of university students, academics and university leaders, is a collaboration between Universities South Africa (USAf) and the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET). It encourages students to become more economically active by offering training programmes and initiatives to foster entrepreneurial skills, and running competitions such as the annual EDHE Entrepreneurship Intervarsity and the EDHE Absa Innovation Challenge.
[i] Research and Markets, 2024. South Africa Solid Waste Management Report 2024: Rising Waste & Landfill Limits Create Growth Opportunities for Private Firms in Composting… Available in: South Africa Solid Waste Management Report 2024: Rising
The pursuit of new ideas, solutions and products
Ms Mpho Kotlolo(above) from the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) was named the EDHE Absa Top Student Innovator of the Year and received R500 000 for developing age-appropriate ARVs for children living with HIV/AIDS.
Mr Octavius Phukubye (left), Executive Director of the Mr Price Foundation, said this new partnership aimed to encourage innovators to search for new ideas, new solutions and new products.
The 2026 Challenge would recruit 400 students and alumni to develop innovations that convert plastic waste into viable business solutions. Participants would receive training in design thinking, product development, green technology and waste management, equipping them with the skills needed to refine their ideas and build prototypes that address real environmental challenges.
From this group, the most promising innovators would be selected to participate in an intensive national bootcamp, where they would further strengthen their concepts and prepare them for market entry. Ultimately, the top five innovators would receive cash prizes and investment-readiness support to transform their solutions into scalable green enterprises.
Said Mr Phukubye: “We are delighted with this new partnership because it talks to secular entrepreneurship. Our society and supply chain generate a lot of waste that could be recycled or repurposed. Our initial investment into this programme is R1.3 million, but we will look to increase it over time,” he explained.
“Not all the ideas and all the concepts are going to be commercialised, and not all concepts will become upscalable businesses – and that’s okay. We want to listen and to celebrate learnings; that’s the culture and the spirit we want to drive. We want to empower young people through three key areas, namely skills development, entrepreneurship and education.
That sentiment was echoed by Dr Edwell Gumbo (right), Director: Entrepreneurship, USAf.
“This new national initiative marks an exciting moment in our collective journey to position young South Africans at the centre of innovation, sustainability and enterprise development.
This partnership is a powerful reminder that when we combine the strengths of universities, industry, government and civil society, we unlock solutions that none of us could achieve alone. In the spirit of the quadruple helix, collaboration is not just valuable; it is essential.
South Africa is facing two intersecting crises, among others: youth unemployment and environmental degradation.
“Individually, these challenges can appear overwhelming. But when we bring together the research capacity of universities, the entrepreneurial energy of young people and the resources and expertise of committed partners like the Mr Price Foundation, these challenges become powerful opportunities for innovation, enterprise creation and environmental resilience,” he said.
“This collaboration strengthens EDHE’s mission and gives young innovators a platform to transform research into real products and services that will shape the circular economy of the future. Across our campuses are brilliant young minds working on research, design, engineering and technological innovations that often remain trapped within academic spaces. The Waste Innovation Challenge creates a national pipeline to take ideas and bring them into the market.”
Mr Phukubye referenced the success that the EDHE Awards had already achieved. This was evidenced by Emmanuel Kiyonga, the 2024 EDHE Studentpreneur of the Year Award winner, among others, for developing a promising drug for breast cancer and osteoporosis.
He said Kiyonga and his fellow student entrepreneurs and innovators reminded him of the book The Boy That Harnessed the Wind, a true account of William Kamkwamba, a 14-year-old Malawian boy who built a windmill from scrap metal and bicycle parts to bring electricity to his village during a severe famine.
“Since 2005, the Mr Price Foundation has been unlocking access to quality education and skills development to empower youth to reach their full potential. Everything we do, we do to break the cycle of poverty and inequality,” he explained.
The Mr Price Foundation programmes align with a number of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals, a plan to protect our planet and to preserve and create opportunities for all people to live in dignity and prosperity. It has also announced an ambitious plan to get 500,000 youth economically resilient by 2035. The target, revealed in its FY2025 Integrated Impact Report, comes as the country faces a youth unemployment crisis, with 7.7 million young people not in employment, education or training.
“We’ve also looked at how we can work with young people at the earliest level and create multiple pathways so that those who don’t find jobs, those who are looking for opportunities and those who are innovative can be provided with the right amount of support,” he concluded.
Janine Greenleaf Walker is a contract writer for Universities South Africa.