Achenyo Idachaba (born c. 1970) is an American-born
entrepreneur
Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally encountered in starting a business, which may include other values th ...
working in
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
TED talk
TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an American-Canadian non-profit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan "ideas worth spreading". TED was founded by Richard Sau ...
had over 1.8 million views as of 2020.
Life
Idachaba came to notice after she moved to
Ibadan
Ibadan (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Oyo State, in Nigeria. It is the third-largest city by population in Nigeria after Lagos and Kano, with a total population of 3,649,000 as of 2021, and over 6 million people within its me ...
, Nigeria, in 2009 to set up an environmental consultancy.Achenyo Idachaba Cartier Women's Initiative, Retrieved 29 February 2016. Idachaba had an affinity with Nigeria as her parents had been born there and she had spent some time visiting when she was younger although she was born and educated in America."Achenyo Idachaba - Turning Water Weeds to Creative Wonders" CP_Africa.com, Retrieved 29 February 2016. She worked as a computer scientist and business analyst before moving to Nigeria to set up an environmental consultancy business.
She realised that
Water Hyacinth
''Pontederia crassipes'' (formerly ''Eichhornia crassipes''), commonly known as common water hyacinth is an aquatic plant native to South America, naturalized throughout the world, and often invasive outside its native range.2014 Finalists , ElleDecoration. Retrieved 29 February 2016. which were made from plants that are usually only known for being invasive. These plants were originally from South America and can be seen as attractive in a domestic garden, however they have been called the "worst aquatic plant" as they grow so abundantly that they create large floating mats of plants that quickly reproduce. WA.gov. Retrieved 29 February 2016. By 2013 she had won a grant from the government and she was employing seven staff. The weeds are harvested, dried and then made into rope which can then be made into products.
In 2014 her efforts were recognised when she was given the Cartier award. This was the women's initiative award for sub-Saharan Africa — which had also been won the year before by another Nigerian, Bilikiss Adebiyi Abiola.Bilikiss Adebiyi 2013, cartierwomensinitiative.com. Retrieved 28 February 2016. She has been featured on CNN."Woven wonders from water weeds and waste" Lauren Said-Moorhouse, Carla Wanyika and Florence Obondo, 2 January 2015. Retrieved 29 February 2016.