D-Olivette Global Enterprise won the Princess Sabeeka Bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa Global Award for Women’s Empowerment in the private sector category in November 2022. With a vision to accelerate the adoption of clean technology to end energy poverty in rural Africa, D-Olivette is now taking its innovation global.

In 2022, the company set a target to integrate one million kitchen boxes into rural homes in Africa within three years—a goal strengthened by the recognition and support of the Global Award. Since then, D-Olivette has launched its “Burn Biogas Not Trees Initiative” (BBNT), a zero-waste, waste-to-energy and fertilizer conversion project focused on technical capacity-building and climate change awareness. Implemented in Ifo, Ewekoro, Papa, Owode, and Ogbere in Southern Nigeria, the initiative has partnered with vocational consortiums to train 500 women and youth participants on converting household, community, and farm organic waste into biogas and organic fertilizer. BBNT also distributed 50 free units of D-Olivette’s Kitchen Box and provided training on how to use biogas safely and efficiently for daily cooking and electrification.

Before receiving the award, D-Olivette engaged approximately 10,000 rural women annually. In 2023, this number rose to over 18,000 rural women and farmers, with the organization on track to reach more than 30,000 by year’s end. D-Olivette has also expanded distribution channels and operations in two strategic locations, enabling access for more rural women in hard-to-reach communities across Benin and Nigeria. Additionally, the company recently launched the Kitchen Box V2.0 and an improved Bio-tank, targeting more than 100,000 rural homes by 2025.

Winning the Bahrain Global Award has catalyzed D-Olivette’s growth and impact. In March 2023, the company received a USD 50,000 grant from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) after securing second place in the Global Empower a Billion Lives competition. D-Olivette has also partnered with organizations such as the Clean Cooking Club Initiative of Africa, the Clinton Foundation, and Integra Capital S.A., further empowering rural communities in Africa and South America.

One powerful example of human impact comes from rural Nigeria, where D-Olivette has transformed cassava processing, a traditionally female-dominated activity. Women who once spent months processing cassava—exposed to harmful smoke and environmental hazards from waste disposal—now benefit from clean cooking technologies and biogas solutions. These interventions have improved their health, reduced their workload, and created new economic opportunities through the sale of organic fertilizer and biogas.

Looking forward, D-Olivette aims to scale its output, doubling deliveries by Q3 2024 to reach 50,000 rural women and smallholder farmers annually. The company is also researching the feasibility of large farms serving as hubs for organic fertilizer and biogas production, while advancing plans for an eco-friendly factory capable of producing thousands of products each year.

For more information on the work of D-Olivette, please see their website: www.d-olivette.io