YOUTH-CENTRED WASTE-BASED BUSINESS IN ZANZIBAR

Helvetas Tanzania is implementing the Youth Centred Waste Based Businesses in Zanzibar (WABUZA) Project to address two pressing challenges in Zanzibar: high youth unemployment and increasing waste management problems. Rapid urbanization, population growth, tourism, and changing consumption patterns have led to growing volumes of solid waste, while many young people continue to face limited employment and entrepreneurship opportunities.

WABUZA promotes a circular economy approach by transforming waste into economic opportunities for young women and men. The project equips youth with skills in waste management, recycling, and value addition, while facilitating access to business development services, equipment, financing, and markets. By supporting sustainable waste-based enterprises, the project contributes to job creation, improved environmental management, and enhanced climate resilience, fostering a cleaner and more inclusive green economy in Zanzibar.

The WABUZA Pathway is a holistic approach to youth empowerment that equips young people with the knowledge, skills, and resources needed to achieve sustainable livelihoods. The pathway focuses on empowering youth through technical and vocational skills development, enterprise development, and entrepreneurship support, enabling them to create and grow viable businesses. It also facilitates market linkages to enhance access to customers and business opportunities while improving access to essential infrastructure and equipment that support productive economic activities. Through these integrated interventions, the WABUZA Pathway strengthens youth employability, self reliance, and economic resilience.

Project Goals: The project promotes youth employment, entrepreneurship, and environmental sustainability through the development of viable waste-based enterprises in Zanzibar. 

Project Direct Beneficiaries: 200 youth (50% women) engaged in waste based enterprises and improving income generation; 20 Local Service Providers (LSPs) supporting youth enterprises with technical and business development services; 20 youth led enterprises formally registered, linked to financial services and market system participating in trade fairs; 6 viable waste based business models developed and connected to markets and finance; 50 institutions implementing functional waste separation systems; and 5 municipal councils (3 in Unguja and 2 in Pemba) engaged in waste governance and system support.

Local Project Partners:The WABUZA Project is implemented in close collaboration with key government institutions, including the Presidential Office – Regional Administration, Local Government and Special Departments; the Ministries responsible for Youth, Agriculture, Labour, and Investment; and five Municipal Councils (West A, West B, Urban, Wete, and Chake Chake). The project also works with Local Government Authorities and Shehias, youth-led enterprises and associations, Local Service Providers, private sector actors, financial institutions, market actors, Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), the Zanzibar Environmental Management Authority (ZEMA), and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to strengthen youth entrepreneurship, promote circular economy solutions, and create sustainable employment opportunities in waste-based value chains.

TRACKING PROGRESS: TURNING WASTE INTO GREEN ENTERPRISE FOR ZANZIBAR'S YOUTH

The project has mobilized 96 youth—55% of them women—into structured waste-based economic activities, creating a powerful pathway for inclusive green livelihoods. Of these, 56 youth from 11 groups and enterprises have received active support to develop businesses spanning both organic and non-organic value chains. Organic solutions include fertilizer production and Black Soldier Fly (BSF) systems, while non-organic innovations cover briquette making, biogas (under development), recycled products, artworks, and decorative items. To anchor this ecosystem, 13 Local Service Providers (LSPs) have been engaged to deliver technical, business development, and mentorship support, ensuring that youth-led enterprises are not just launched but sustained and scaled.

Beyond enterprise setup, the project has piloted and operationalized four viable business models—organic fertilizer, BSF, briquettes, and artcraft/recycled products—with biogas emerging as a fifth model. These pilots have been linked to financial, technical, and market support services, demonstrating clear technical feasibility and growing commercial viability at the micro-enterprise level. Early successes include improved supply consistency of waste inputs, better pricing mechanisms, and emerging connections with private sector actors and institutional buyers. These foundational linkages are critical, as they transform waste from a liability into a tradable commodity, paving the way for investable, scalable enterprises that can generate lasting income for Zanzibar's youth.

Underpinning this enterprise momentum is a deliberate focus on advocacy, knowledge sharing, and systemic influence. The project has rolled out three advocacy interventions—including dialogues, campaigns, and media engagements—across Pemba and Unguja, reaching diverse community and institutional stakeholders. These efforts have significantly raised awareness and understanding of waste reduction, separation, and reuse practices, while also fostering early behavioral shifts and institutional alignment with circular economy principles. Together, these achievements demonstrate that youth empowerment, environmental sustainability, and economic opportunity are not competing goals—they are mutually reinforcing pillars of a resilient, green future for Zanzibar.