Bridgette Sokamide

Nigerian social entrepreneur revolutionizing waste management through innovative recycling solutions

Bridgette Sokamide is a visionary environmentalist and founder of Wecyclers, a Nigerian social enterprise that transforms waste collection into economic opportunity. Since launching in 2012, her organization has collected over 2 million kilograms of recyclables from Lagos' densely populated communities while providing cash incentives to participants. Her model combines cutting-edge logistics with community engagement strategies that empower low-income households to participate in circular economies.

In 2021, Sokamide pioneered the 'Wecycle' mobile app which digitized waste tracking systems, enabling real-time monitoring of recycling activities across 50+ neighborhoods. This innovation was highlighted by the United Nations Environment Programme as a best practice in urban sustainability. Her work directly addresses two critical challenges: reducing ocean plastic pollution from Lagos Lagoon and creating sustainable livelihoods for informal waste pickers.

Through partnerships with corporations like Coca-Cola and Unilever, Wecyclers has developed closed-loop supply chains where recycled materials are used to produce new packaging. Sokamide's TED Talk How to Turn Waste Into Wealth (2019) has been viewed over 2.5 million times, inspiring similar initiatives in Kenya, Ghana and Brazil. In 2023, she launched the African Circular Economy Network, connecting 300+ organizations across the continent.

Her most recent initiative, SolarWaste, combines solar-powered compactors with blockchain verification to track recycled material journeys from collection to manufacturing. This system ensures transparency and enables companies to accurately report their sustainability metrics. Sokamide's impact extends beyond Nigeria - her work was featured in the World Economic Forum's 2022 Global Innovators list and inspired the Nigerian government's 2025 National Recycling Policy.