Kenya-based Sanergy Secures $2.5m investment from Japan International Cooperation Agency

Kenya-based waste management company Sanergy has announced it secured a $2.5m investment from Japan International Cooperation Agency.

Founded in 2010, Sanergy generates fertilizer and other by-products by providing safe, affordable sanitation in the slums, the startup focuses on promoting the human rights of hygienic waste sanitation.

Sanergy specializes in using flies to process biowaste in an initiative to help address the city’s growing sanitation needs and also help farmers across Kenya produce more crops with fertilizer produced as a byproduct.

Sanergy adopts a “circular economy” approach — collecting excrement and other organic waste from places such as markets, farms, and restaurants, and then turning the waste into useful products including feed and biofuel.

Shohei Hara, director-general of JICA’s Private Sector Partnership and Finance Department speaking on the investment said that the firm will keep supporting Sanergy’s solution for environmental management.

“We are thrilled to expand Sanergy’s pioneering circular economy model which solves multiple social problems, such as waste management, sanitation, agricultural productivity, and food security, that most countries in Africa commonly face.

“JICA will continue to develop partnerships with wider stakeholders in tackling these social problems,” Hara said.

With the expected rise in Kenya’s population in coming years, its production of biowaste is expected to increase from 1,848 tons to 3,990 tons per day, according to JICA. Sanergy will focus on leveraging its technology to provide environmental management.

Sanergy also produces an organic crop fertilizer created from the residue left after the biowaste has been fed to the black soldier flies. It is sold across Kenya.

Sanergy intends to use the funding to expand its coverage area to other cities in Africa and Southeast Asia.