Galabuzi Brian Kakembo of Uganda has been named the 2020 Commonwealth Young Person of the Year for his work transforming biodegradable plastics and organic waste into eco-friendly charcoal briquettes.

Kakembo, whose work focuses on United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 8: decent work and economic growth, also won the regional prize for Africa and Europe.

He is among four young people to have copped Commonwealth Youth Awards this year, the others being Hafiz Usama Tanveer from Pakistan, Sowmyan Jegatheesan from Canada, and Sagufta Salma from Fiji.

Tanveer, whose work brings clean water to poor communities (focus on SDG 6: clean water and sanitation), topped the Asia region. Jegatheesan, who is providing one-stop information to prevent human-wildlife conflict (focus on SDG 15: life on land), won for the Caribbean and Canada region. Salma, meanwhile, who is transforming waste into sustainable furniture (focus on SDG 12: responsible consumption and production), came out on top in the Pacific region.

The Commonwealth secretariat said yesterday that the awards recognise exceptional contributions by young people whose ventures are helping their countries achieve the SDGs.

More than 500 award nominations were received from 40 countries. From these, a pan-Commonwealth judging panel selected 16 finalists. The awards were presented during a gathering at Commonwealth headquarters in London this week. Recipients received a £3,000 grant for their projects.

Growing up in a poor community, Kakembo set up an enterprise to educate women and young people to turn waste into wealth. He has reached more than 800 women and young people, and 600 of them now make and sell briquettes in Uganda.

Brian said: “I want the world to see that unemployed youth is not a problem but an untapped resource that can be trained and supported to bring about a social change.”

Pakistan’s Tanveer has created water purification kits to improve access to clean water in poor communities and refugee camps to help prevent the spread of waterborne diseases. He has reached more than 11,000 people including victims of the Kerala flooding that occurred in the past two years.

He said: “This award is an encouragement to continue on this trajectory to reach more people and to make water non-exclusive.”

Canada’s Jegatheesan wants the world to make informed decisions when it comes to protecting wildlife from the effects of climate change.

He has developed one of the world’s largest online information hubs to help communities build resilience by better understanding climate activities, migration patterns, and human-wildlife conflict.

“The business-as-usual practice has led to the endangering of so many species. We must change our course, understand the evidence and make informed decisions to protect our wildlife from changing climate,” said Jegatheesan.

Meanwhile, Salma says a lack of access to proper waste disposal in Fiji drove her to establish her enterprise, which has now upcycled more than 1,000 tonnes of waste.

She mainly employs single mothers to assist them to support their families.

“This award will help me create more awareness around sustainable living and empower more women to work in a field that is largely dominated by men,” she said.

Commonwealth Secretary General Patricia Scotland, who presented the awards, said: “The entries remind us that there is no lack of ingenuity or ideas. What we tend to lack are mechanisms to support and fund the young innovators who have the imagination and creativity we need to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.”