Fatima Mahama

Ghanaian social entrepreneur transforming plastic waste into affordable housing solutions.

Fatima Mahama is a Ghanaian innovator and founder of AfriCan Headers, a company that converts discarded plastic waste into building materials for low-cost housing. Born in 1989, her work addresses dual challenges of environmental degradation and housing shortages in West Africa.

After studying architecture in the UK, Mahama returned to Ghana in 2018 and began developing patented technology to compress plastic waste into interlocking blocks. By 2020, her team had constructed over 500 homes using this material in Accra's informal settlements. Each home costs 60% less than traditional builds while achieving superior insulation properties.

Her 2021 collaboration with UN Habitat produced a groundbreaking report showing how plastic-based construction could divert 15% of Africa's plastic waste from landfills. In 2023, she launched the Plastic2Homes initiative, training 200+ women in plastic collection and construction techniques.

Mahama's innovations were featured in the BBC documentary 'Plastic Africa' (2022), and she received the African Union's Women Innovation Prize in 2024. Her work demonstrates how waste management and housing crises can be addressed through circular economy principles.