Green Promoters holding EZA Two-in-One pesticide fertilizer final product.
Green Promoters, a group of young Rwandan innovators has scooped the Wege Prize 2022.
The award was organized by Kendall College of Art and Design’s Wege Center for Sustainable Design-USA with the support from the Wege Foundation.
The competition ignites game-changing solutions for the future by inspiring college and university students around the world.
Made of Rwandan students with a passion for agriculture and environmental sustainability from Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture, UAE University and Davis College- Akilah, Green Promoters won first place in this year’s competition with US$30,000 cash prize.
Green Promoters collecting the row materials for production of EZA Two-in-One pesticide fertilizer.
The money will be used to make EZA Two-in-One, an environmentally friendly, safe and affordable product which can be used as both pesticide and fertilizer.
Commenting on the award, Green Promoters Team Leader Uwimbabazi Marie Merci, student at Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture said that it was a very big honor for the team to represent Rwanda and their universities on a global stage and win the biggest prize which will be the initial investment to the implementation of their project.
“We were privileged to win the Wege Prize 2022. We are moving forward to the implementation of this idea so as to serve our community and the world,” she said.
The young innovators are very hopeful that their product will make a significant impact.
“The new product and processes benefit the challenges of waste and idle resources in various communities while creating new opportunities. The introduction of EZA Two-in-One promises to reduce the costs of imported inputs, while also promoting safety in agricultural production in Rwanda,” said Green Promoters team member Emmanuel Tuyishime, student in the College of Electrical Engineering at UAE University.
This year’s Wege Prize 2022 attracted 31 teams from 70 global academic institutions from 29 countries. They contended for $65,000 in total cash prizes, while helping to show the world what the future of problem solving looks like. Winners were announced on 20th May 2022.
