Zanzibar farmer turns banana waste into business opportunity
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Siti Hamad Ali, a 49-year-old farmer in northern Zanzibar, transformed banana waste into charcoal briquettes, creating a sustainable business and income source for herself and her community.
Siti initially struggled with crop diseases and limited income opportunities, but joined a UN program in 2025 focused on climate change resilience and economic empowerment for women.
The training showed her how to use banana peels, previously considered waste, as a binding agent for charcoal briquettes, and she later adapted the process using breadfruit to maintain production year-round. Through the UN Zanzibar Joint Programme, a partnership between UN Women and FAWE-Zanzibar, Siti also gained digital literacy skills. She now uses these tools to brand, package, and market her products, even employing artificial intelligence to design a logo for her cooperative, Riziki Yetu.
Siti has expanded her impact by teaching other women in her community and on the island of Pemba how to create briquettes and improve their businesses. Her success was nationally recognized on July 17, 2026, when the International Labour Organization and the SIYB Association of East Africa awarded her the Recognition of Outstanding Performance as a Green Business Winner.
Siti’s cooperative now uses a briquette-making machine to increase production and demonstrate the technology to other communities, and she plans to continue expanding her business and training other women.
