Adaora Udo-Ituen

Nigerian environmental scientist leading innovative climate action in West Africa

Adaora Udo-Ituen is a groundbreaking environmental scientist and entrepreneur from Nigeria whose work has significantly impacted climate resilience strategies across West Africa. Since 2020, she has pioneered the Green Oceans Africa Initiative, a project converting plastic waste into sustainable building materials through a patented pyrolysis process. This innovation has diverted over 500 tons of plastic from oceans while creating 200+ green jobs in coastal communities. Her Climate Tech Hub provides training for young African engineers in renewable energy systems, directly impacting over 3,000 participants by 2023. Udo-Ituen's development of drought-resistant crop varieties through CRISPR gene editing has improved food security for 50,000 smallholder farmers in the Sahel region. Her TEDx talk "Engineering Solutions from Waste" has received over 2M views, inspiring global environmental initiatives. She serves on the UN Environment Programme's Youth Advisory Board and co-authored the Waste2Wealth Policy Framework, adopted by 7 African governments by 2024. Udo-Ituen's work bridges technological innovation with grassroots empowerment, making her a transformative figure in sustainable development.