Tosin Ogunseye

Nigerian environmental activist leading innovative waste management and recycling initiatives in West Africa.

Tosin Ogunseye is a trailblazing Nigerian environmentalist whose work has transformed waste management practices across West Africa. Born in Lagos in 1990, she founded Waste2Wealth in 2020, an organization that converts plastic waste into affordable construction materials like paving blocks and furniture. This initiative has diverted over 20,000 tons of plastic from landfills and oceans, creating jobs for 1,500+ women in underserved communities. Ogunseye’s approach combines grassroots mobilization with advanced recycling technology, including a clean tech partnership with German engineering firm Siemens to scale production.

Her collaboration with Greenpeace in 2022 led to the Plastic Free Coastal Communities campaign, which trained over 5,000 youth in recycling entrepreneurship. Ogunseye also pioneered the West African Circular Economy Network, connecting small businesses with raw materials from waste streams. In 2023, she received the EarthX Award for Innovation, recognizing her role in reducing marine pollution. Her TEDx talk "Turning Waste into Wealth" has been translated into 12 languages and inspired similar programs in Ghana and Senegal. Ogunseye’s work directly aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goal 12 (Responsible Consumption) and has positioned her as a global leader in circular economy solutions.