International Youth Day is not just a day on the calendar; it’s a global platform dedicated to amplifying youth voices, celebrating their achievements, and addressing the challenges they face. This year’s theme, Local Youth Actions for the SDGs and Beyond, is particularly special. It emphasizes how youth participation can be a powerful tool for sustainable development and how young innovators are at the forefront of this transformative process.
Across Kenya, youth are not waiting for change, they are creating it. At the Kenya Climate Innovation Center (KCIC), we’ve seen firsthand how young entrepreneurs are turning local challenges into globally relevant climate solutions. An inspiring example comes from a venture transforming waste and resource scarcity into opportunities for sustainability,Noma Green Plastics.
On the outskirts of a bustling Kenyan town, the hum of machinery blends with the clatter of shredded plastic. To a passerby, it might look like just another factory at work. But inside Noma Green Plastics, every pole being molded tells a bigger story, one of youth, innovation, and a determination to tackle a problem the world has struggled with for decades: plastic waste.
It started with a simple, urgent question: What if the plastic choking our rivers and littering our streets could be given a second life? For the young minds behind Noma Green Plastics, the answer wasn’t in complicated theories, it was in action. They rolled up their sleeves, gathered discarded plastics, and began experimenting. The vision was bold: transform waste into something useful, durable, and good for the planet.
Today, their factory produces about 120 eco-friendly fencing poles every single day, recycling 30–40 tonnes of plastic waste each month. The process is ingenious. Discarded plastic is cleaned, shredded, and extruded into poles strong enough to outlast wood and immune to rot or termite damage. For farmers, that means longer-lasting fences. For the environment, it means less logging and less plastic pollution.
The change is visible. Streets that once bore the burden of plastic litter now feed into a supply chain of sustainability. Farmers talk about the difference these poles have made to their work. And perhaps most importantly, a community has witnessed firsthand what young innovators can achieve when they choose solutions over complaints.
KCIC has been instrumental in helping such ideas grow through its programs like AgriBiz and CleanTech and by offering young entrepreneurs a holistic support system. This includes Innovative Financing to help ventures access the capital they need, Advisory Services to strengthen business strategy, an Enabling Environment that fosters innovation, Access to Information to guide decision-making, and Access to Facilities that allow ideas to be tested and scaled. From guiding product development to linking businesses with potential investors, KCIC provides the tools and networks that empower youth-led ventures, like Noma Green Plastics, to expand their reach and impact.
The story of Noma Green Plastics isn’t just about recycling. It’s about rewriting the narrative of what youth can do when given space to innovate. It’s about transforming waste into opportunity, and problems into products that stand the test of time.
So, as we celebrate International Youth Day, remember this: change doesn’t always start in government offices or global boardrooms. Sometimes, it starts in a small Kenyan workshop, with a pile of discarded plastic, a spark of an idea, and young people refusing to accept that waste is the end of the story.
Are you a young climate innovator?
KCIC, in partnership with the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) and the African Development Bank (AfDB), is currently accepting applications for the YouthADAPT Challenge. This initiative seeks to identify, support, and scale innovative solutions led by young entrepreneurs that address climate change adaptation across Africa. Winners receive business support, mentorship, and funding to grow their ventures.
If you’re ready to take your climate-smart idea to the next level, apply now and join a community of youth making a lasting impact.
