Ghanaian GAYO wins £1m environmental award

Ghanaian youth group, Green Africa Youth Organisation (GAYO) Ghana, has won £1 million (GH¢21.27 million) prize money to accelerate and scale its game-changing environmental solutions.

GAYO is one of five that won the 2024 Earthshot Prize, a global environmental prize and platform designed to discover, accelerate and scale ground-breaking solutions to repair and regenerate the planet.

The organisation won in the “Clean Our Air” category with its “Zero Waste Model” initiative which drives behavioural change in waste management practices across Africa, aimed at cutting greenhouse gas emissions and particle pollution, while bringing additional income to communities.

Zero Waste Model seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and particle pollution in the country by 70 per cent compared to open burning, as well as divert a total of 4,000 tonnes of waste by 2030.

The other winners are Advanced Thermovoltaic Systems (USA) with the “Fix Our Climate” category; High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People (Global) won in the “Revive Our Oceans” category; Keep IT Cool (Kenya) won the “Build a Waste-Free World” category, with Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative (Kazakhstan), winning the “Protect and Restore Nature” category.

Each of the winners take home £1 million cash prize to accelerate and scale their game-changing environmental solutions. 

Selection

The five winners of the 2024 Prize cohort were selected by Prince William and The Earthshot Prize Council, a diverse group of experts, advocates and individuals dedicated to championing urgent and innovative action to protect our planet.

In addition to the five £1 million prizes supporting the growth of the winners’ solutions, each of the 15 Earthshot Prize finalists will receive dedicated mentorship, resources and technical support through the year-long Earthshot Prize Fellowship Programme.

That support includes access to the Prize’s robust network of influential experts and partners, including The Earthshot Prize’s Global Alliance of Partners, comprised of some of the world’s largest businesses, donors, investors and environmental organisations committed to climate action.

They will also have access to Launchpad, Earthshot’s bespoke online finance platform, to matchmake Earthshot solutions to a growing community of members made up of mission-aligned donors and investors seeking to speed proven environmental solutions to scale.

Community-driven solutions

The Co-Founder of GAYO, Desmond Alugnoa, expressed gratitude for the recognition he described as a testament to the power of community-driven solutions and the importance of empowering those most affected by climate challenges.

He said his outfit’s work in the country demonstrated that sustainable waste management was not just a possibility but a necessity.

The recognition by the Earthshot Prize, Mr Alugnoa said, therefore fueled their commitment to replicating these models across Africa, proving that local solutions could have global impacts. 

Significance

The Founder of the Earthshot Prize, Britain’s Prince William, said he believed the world could be rich in possibility in hope and optimism.

That, he said, was the reason behind the award; to champion game-changers, inventors, makers, creatives, leaders; to help them build upon the amazing things they’ve already achieved.

He added that it aimed to speed their innovations to scale and to inspire the next generation to create the future “we all need."