The Milken Institute and Motsepe Foundation have announced BleagLee, a Cameroon-based AI-powered waste recycling company, as the winner of the $1 million grand prize in the Milken-Motsepe Prize for Artificial Intelligence and Manufacturing.
The announcement was made at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles, United States, where innovators from across the world were recognised for advancing AI-driven manufacturing solutions capable of creating jobs and transforming industries across Africa.
Key Highlights:
- Cameroon’s BleagLee won the $1 million grand prize for AI-powered recycling innovation
- Tanzania’s Freshpack Technologies emerged runner-up with a $250,000 award
- UK-based Digitech Oasis Limited received $100,000 for advanced Fourth Industrial Revolution technology
- Over 2,000 entrepreneurs from 100 countries participated in the competition
- The prize programme has awarded more than $8 million to innovators since 2021
- Organisers also unveiled a new $2 million Circular Economy Prize
BleagLee earned top honours for its innovative system that uses artificial intelligence to detect, collect and recycle plastic, agricultural and electronic waste into high-value products including recycled polymers, 3D printing filaments and bio-based carbon materials.
According to the organisers, the company’s technology-driven approach combines environmental sustainability with economic empowerment while targeting the reduction of 300 million tons of carbon emissions by 2030.
Speaking on the development, Dr. Precious Moloi-Motsepe, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Motsepe Foundation, said Africa was producing globally competitive AI and technology innovations capable of solving pressing challenges.
She stated that supporting locally grounded but globally scalable innovations would create lasting economic opportunities and strengthen communities across the continent.
The AI and Manufacturing Prize represents the fourth competition under the Milken-Motsepe Innovation Prize Programme, which focuses on encouraging technological solutions to economic and environmental problems affecting Africa and other parts of the world.
The competition, launched in May 2025, attracted more than 2,000 entrepreneurs globally, with only 10 advancing to the semi-final stage.
The finalists included BleagLee, Digitech Oasis Limited, Freshpack Technologies, Spiro and Toto Safi Limited.
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Organisers disclosed that participants were evaluated based on commercial viability, operational efficiency, technological integration and scalability potential.
Since its launch in 2021, the innovation prize programme has distributed more than $8 million to over 50 innovators worldwide, while participating startups have reportedly attracted nearly 31 times the value of the grand prize in additional investments.
Meanwhile, the Milken Institute and Motsepe Foundation also announced a new $2 million Circular Economy Prize aimed at supporting companies developing technology-driven solutions to improve recycling, waste recovery and sustainable manufacturing systems across Africa.
The organisers said the new competition seeks to replace traditional “take-make-waste” industrial models with more sustainable and resource-efficient value chains capable of creating jobs and reducing environmental degradation.
Applications for the Circular Economy Prize are expected to remain open until August 13, 2026.
