They come from the University of Dschang and they convinced. The EcoPulse team won the first prize of the hackathon during the first Francophone Days of Environmental Innovation in Action in the Congo Basin.
Announced on June 5, 2026, in Brazzaville, the results reward a bio-waste recovery solution endowed with 5 million CFA francs. Six countries from the Congo Basin were competing.
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Cameroon shines again internationally. In Brazzaville, the agronomic expertise of the University of Dschang hit the mark. From June 1 to 5, 2026, the International Organization of La Francophonie organized the first JFIEA: the Francophone Days of Environmental Innovation in Action in the Congo Basin. On the agenda: an open-air hackathon on the theme “Recycle and innovate: Francophone youth serving sustainable agriculture.” Facing 5 other teams from Cameroon, CAR, Congo, DRC, Gabon, and Equatorial Guinea, EcoPulse charmed the jury.
Led by young engineers from the Faculty of Agronomy and Agricultural Sciences of UDs, some trained at the University of Montagnes, the team proposes an integrated bio-waste recovery system. According to the group leader, Audrey YOUGANG, it combines three levers: biotransformation by black soldier fly larvae, a frugal bamboo greenhouse, and sustainable agricultural production.
Specifically, organic waste becomes biofertilizers and frass for crops. The larval biomass, rich in protein, is used for animal feed. The goal: reduce urban waste, support sustainable agriculture, and create green jobs.
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This achievement earned EcoPulse the first prize and a check for 5 million CFA francs. The Agro Boucle de Goma team, representing the DRC, finished second.
Back in Dschang in July 2026, the winners all defended their Master’s research thesis: crop production, rural engineering, animal production, rural economy, plant protection. A multidisciplinary profile strengthened by Marty MONDZALI, a Congolese based in Brazzaville, who contributed to the experiments.
“Making EcoPulse an African reference in the circular economy by developing an innovative and reproducible model for bio-waste recovery” is now the vision.
Next step: the administrative creation of the startup under the mentorship of the OIF, with the support of UDs incubation facilities. The Congo Basin may have found a concrete solution to transform its waste into opportunities.
