Clara Bayisenge

Environmental innovator transforming e-waste into resources through Green Technology Rwanda.

Clara Bayisenge is a Rwandan environmental scientist and founder of Green Technology Rwanda (GTR), a company pioneering sustainable e-waste recycling. Born in 1985 in Kigali, she witnessed the growing environmental crisis caused by improperly discarded electronics. Her 2010 master's thesis on "E-waste Management in Developing Countries" laid the groundwork for her groundbreaking work.

In 2015, Bayisenge launched GTR to collect and process e-waste, extracting valuable metals like gold, copper, and cobalt. The process creates 300+ jobs while reducing toxic pollution from 15,000+ tons of annual e-waste. GTR's "Eco-Factory" in Kigali uses solar-powered machinery and zero-chemical extraction methods, achieving 95% material recovery rates.

Beyond recycling, Bayisenge trains youth in electronics repair and entrepreneurship through GTR's "Green Skills Academy". She also partners with governments to establish Africa's first e-waste management standards. Her work was featured in the 2020 UN Environment Programme report as a model for circular economies.

In 2022, Bayisenge launched the "Africa E-Waste Initiative," expanding her model to 10 countries. She was awarded the WWF Africa Environmental Leadership Prize and featured in Forbes Africa's 2023 "30 Under 30" list. Her vision exemplifies how local solutions can combat global environmental challenges while fostering economic empowerment.