Last updated: February 1, 2026
Ghislain Irakoze: How a Rwandan climate entrepreneur is linking circular economy innovation, data traceability, and youth-led policy influence across Africa
Ghislain Irakoze represents a new generation of African climate entrepreneurs who treat circularity, data and digital inclusion as inseparable—and who are building solutions in Kigali with implications far beyond Rwanda. His work is a natural fit for Afrispora News, sitting at the intersection of youth leadership, green technology and cross‑border policy.
From landfill shock to circular‑economy innovation
Born and raised in Rwanda, Ghislain Irakoze traces his climate journey to a near‑fatal incident when a friend was almost killed in a landslide at a waste site, an experience that turned a vague concern about “trash” into a lifelong commitment to waste reduction and environmental justice. As a teenager he organised the “Recycle for Environment” campaign, supported by Samsung Engineering’s Tunza Eco‑Generation initiative, which mobilised students to turn more than 20 tonnes of household plastics into useful products. That mix of youth mobilisation, practical recycling and early fundraising laid the foundations for his later work as an entrepreneur and policy advocate.
Irakoze went on to study International Business and Trade at the African Leadership University, graduating in 2021, and has since taken up a Master of Public Policy at the University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government—formal training that complements the lived experimentation of running a start‑up.
Wastezon: AI for circular e‑waste and digital inclusion
In 2018, Irakoze co‑founded Wastezon, a Kigali‑based cleantech enterprise that uses AI and digital tools to keep electronic materials in circulation. The Wastezon app connects households, manufacturers and recyclers, allowing users to photograph unwanted electronics (phones, fridges, laptops, microwaves) and match them with buyers who refurbish or recycle the items. Machine‑learning models help identify materials, estimate value, and provide traceability along the supply chain, while logistics partners use GPS to coordinate collection and delivery.
Different sources converge on the scale of impact. Profiles from WeAreTech Africa and EIT Climate‑KIC note that Wastezon has facilitated the exchange or recycling of 500–580 tonnes of e‑waste, benefiting between 5,500 and 15,000 households in Rwanda and supporting at least three recycling plants. By diverting electronics from landfills and enabling reuse, the company estimates it has helped reduce carbon emissions by more than 4,000 metric tonnes.
In more recent descriptions, such as the African Diaspora Network’s “Builders of Africa’s Future” profile, Wastezon is presented not just as a recycling app but as a materials traceability platform that repurposes electronic components into low‑cost devices for low‑income consumers and secondary raw materials for manufacturers—linking circularity directly to digital inclusion and local industrial inputs.
Policy research, AI governance and global youth leadership
Irakoze’s work extends beyond entrepreneurship into policy and global advocacy. As a Research Fellow with the World Wide Web Foundation and Planet Reimagined, he has led continental circular‑economy policy initiatives, including studies with the EU Commission’s International Partnerships on how to embed circularity in African economic transitions. He is also a Data Value Advocate at the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data, working with East African organisations on how AI systems can be contextualised for African users rather than imported as opaque “black boxes.”
His governance footprint is striking for someone of his generation. Irakoze sits on the Global Greengrants Fund’s Next Gen Climate Board and has previously served on the EU Commission–International Partnerships Youth Sounding Board, bringing youth and Global South perspectives into decisions about climate philanthropy and development priorities. Earlier roles include researcher with the Mastercard Foundation’s Youth Think Tank, innovation consultant for the Global Resilience Partnership, and representative of the African Circular Economy Network in Rwanda.
Recognition and Afrispora significance
Irakoze’s work has attracted growing international recognition. He has been a finalist in the World Bank’s Innovate4Climate pitch competition, shortlisted as a UNEP Young Champion of the Earth for Africa, and named a regional finalist for the 2023 Commonwealth Youth Awards for work advancing SDG 12 on responsible consumption and production. Media platforms from Forbes and National Geographic to African tech outlets have featured Wastezon as a model of youth‑led circular innovation in Africa.
From an Afrispora News perspective, Ghislain Irakoze sits at a compelling crossroads:
- He is African‑born and globally networked, moving between Kigali, pan‑African forums, European policy spaces and now Oxford’s policy school.
- He treats climate, technology and inequality as connected problems, using AI and traceability not just for efficiency but to rebalance who benefits from Africa’s growing mountains of discarded electronics.
- He exemplifies a diasporic logic without physical departure: plugged into African diaspora and global youth networks yet resolutely anchored in building systems and solutions at home.
For a platform committed to documenting African achievement with clarity, dignity and historical integrity, his story shows where the next wave is heading: a generation that sees circularity, data governance and social justice not as separate agendas, but as one integrated project to build a livable, digitally inclusive future.
