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A Cameroon-based company transforming waste into high-value industrial products using artificial intelligence has emerged as the winner of the $1 million Milken-Motsepe Prize in AI and Manufacturing, highlighting Africa’s growing role in shaping the future of sustainable industry.

At the 2026 Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles, BleagLee took the top honour for its AI-powered waste recycling model that converts plastic, agricultural, and electronic waste into engineered recycled polymers, 3D-printing filaments, and bio-based carbon materials.

The recognition places African innovation at the centre of global conversations around manufacturing, climate action, and the circular economy.

BleagLee’s model combines patented AI software with community-based waste collection systems to identify, collect, and process waste streams that would otherwise end up polluting ecosystems. In doing so, the company is not only addressing mounting waste challenges in Cameroon but also creating jobs and building new industrial value chains around recycled materials.

The company says its work could help mitigate up to 300 million tonnes of CO2-equivalent emissions by 2030, underlining how digital technologies are increasingly being deployed to tackle environmental crises while opening economic opportunities.

Tanzania-based Freshpack Technologies secured the $250,000 runner-up award for its AI-enabled cold storage systems aimed at reducing food waste across Africa, while Digitech Oasis Limited of the United Kingdom received the $100,000 award for the Most Advanced Use of Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies.

Together, the winners reflect a broader shift in African innovation ecosystems, where entrepreneurs are using artificial intelligence, automation, and advanced manufacturing technologies to solve deeply local problems with globally scalable solutions.

According to Precious Moloi-Motsepe, co-founder and CEO of the Motsepe Foundation, Africa is producing world-class AI and technology innovation that is solving problems and creating opportunities on a global scale. Pointing out that the story is only beginning to be told.

“When we invest in innovation that is both locally grounded and globally minded, the returns are limitless,” she added.

AI, Manufacturing, and Africa’s Green Industrial Future

The Milken-Motsepe Prize in AI and Manufacturing was launched in May 2025 to identify and accelerate companies already deploying commercially viable technologies in Africa’s manufacturing sector.

More than 2,000 entrepreneurs from 100 countries applied, with only 10 reaching the semi-final stage and five advancing to the finals. Judges evaluated entries based on commercial viability, operational economics, technological integration, and scalability.

The competition forms part of the broader Milken-Motsepe Innovation Prize Program, which, since 2021, has awarded more than $8 million to over 50 innovators worldwide.

According to organisers, participating companies have gone on to attract nearly 31 times the value of the grand prizes in external investment while impacting more than one million people globally.

The growing prominence of waste-to-value enterprises comes at a time when African countries are under increasing pressure to manage rising volumes of plastic and electronic waste while simultaneously expanding manufacturing capacity and creating employment for a rapidly growing youth population.

Across the continent, circular economy models are increasingly being viewed as pathways for industrial development that can reduce resource extraction, lower emissions, and strengthen local supply chains.

The organisers announced that the next edition of the competition will focus specifically on the circular economy, with $2 million in total prizes available, including another $1 million grand prize.

The new prize will target companies developing technology-enabled systems that move industries away from the traditional “take-make-waste” model toward regenerative and resource-efficient production systems.

“Our prize program has become a powerful engine for discovering and accelerating extraordinary innovators who are tackling some of the world’s most urgent challenges across industries,” said Emily Musil, managing director of Environmental and Social Innovation at the Milken Institute.

“As we turn our focus to the Circular Economy, we are especially energized to champion entrepreneurs who are fundamentally reimagining how materials are used, recovered, and reused,” she said.

The upcoming prize cycle is expected to focus on industries including food systems, packaging, electronics, textiles, construction, and waste management, sectors increasingly recognised as central to Africa’s climate resilience and green industrial transition.

For climate and sustainability advocates, the success of companies like BleagLee signals a broader reality: some of the continent’s most promising climate solutions are emerging not only from policy negotiations and international finance mechanisms, but also from locally rooted innovators turning environmental challenges into engines for economic transformation.