A Cameroonian startup has just walked away with the continent's most prestigious manufacturing prize, and it did so by turning rubbish into high-value industrial materials using artificial intelligence. BleagLee, a Cameroon-based AI-powered waste recycling company, has been named the $1 million grand prize winner of the Milken-Motsepe Prize in AI and Manufacturing, announced at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles.

What BleagLee Does

BleagLee uses patented AI software to detect and collect waste across communities, processing plastic, agricultural, and e-waste into high-value products including engineered recycled polymers, 3D printing filaments, and bio-based carbon materials. The company is targeting the mitigation of 300 million tons of CO2-equivalent emissions by 2030 while turning an environmental challenge into local economic opportunity.

The company was founded by Juveline Ngum Ngwa and operates at the intersection of artificial intelligence, circular economy principles, and industrial manufacturing, three areas that have historically received very little investment attention in Africa.

A Competitive Field

Launched in May 2025, the Milken-Motsepe Prize in AI and Manufacturing attracted more than 2,000 entrepreneurs from 100 countries across five continents, with just 10 being selected as semi-finalists. Each team underwent a comprehensive judging process that evaluated commercial viability, operational economics, technological integration, and market scalability.

Tanzania-based Freshpack Technologies was named the $250,000 runner-up for its AI-powered cold storage solution addressing food waste in Africa. UK-based Digitech Oasis Limited received $100,000 for the Most Advanced Use of Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies.

Why This Win Matters for Africa

BleagLee's win highlights a shift in how African startups are using artificial intelligence. They are not just applying AI in software or consumer products, but also in the industrial sector. This is important because manufacturing problems, waste, and weak production systems have held back growth in the region.

For decades, Africa's industrial ambitions have been undermined by import dependence and weak local manufacturing capacity. Since its launch in 2021, the Milken-Motsepe Innovation Prize Programme has awarded over $8 million in funding to more than 50 innovators worldwide, with participating teams raising nearly 31 times the grand prize in additional outside investments. BleagLee's win places it squarely in that pipeline.