As Africa expands its energy and manufacturing sectors, industrial battery waste from forklifts, UPS systems, and storage units is growing. Leading African battery recycling entrepreneurs are turning this waste into economic value, extracting critical materials, and building circular solutions.
Here are the top 5 African innovators transforming industrial battery recycling Africa in 2025:
— Olaniyi Babalola (Nigeria): CEO of Bablo Industries Nigeria and African Silesian Business Hub, leading large-scale recycling of industrial lead-acid batteries, recovering critical materials and reducing environmental risks.
— Terseer Ugbor (Nigeria): Founder of the Recycling and Economic Development Initiative of Nigeria (REDIN), advocating circular economy policies and extending formal industrial battery recycling frameworks nationwide.
— Reon Barnard (South Africa): Co-founder of Tabono Investments, building sustainable recycling infrastructure for industrial battery streams, feeding manufacturing and reducing imports.
— Liran Assness (South Africa): Tabono co-founder, scaling industrial battery recycling Africa solutions with green infrastructure linking industry and communities.
— Adrian Clews (Nigeria): CEO of Hinckley E-Waste Recycling, Nigeria’s first government-approved e-waste recycler and a member of the Alliance for Responsible Battery Recycling.
While these five are leading the field, many other African innovators are advancing industrial battery recycling, building local solutions, and contributing to a cleaner, circular economy across the continent.
Methodology: Selection focused on verified African founders active in industrial battery recycling with measurable impact as of 2024–2025. Criteria included innovation, operational scale, circular-economy relevance, and contribution to safe, sustainable industrial battery waste management.
Image Credit: Energy Link LLC
