Morin Akeredolu-Ale Saw a Broken System, Then Built Enconverge To Connect Africa’s Green Economy
- Morin Akeredolu-Ale launched Enconverge after struggling to find opportunities and information while working in Nigeria's environmental sector
- Enconverge connects people, businesses and institutions with sustainability careers, advisory services, waste management and eco-friendly products across Africa
- The startup is currently bootstrapped and supported by micro-grants, with three new products in development targeting students, waste management and eco-commerce
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Legit.ng journalist Dave Ibemere has over a decade of experience in business journalism, with in-depth knowledge of the Nigerian economy, stocks, and general market trends.
After completing her master’s degree and beginning to navigate Nigeria’s environmental sector, Morin Akeredolu-Ale quickly realised that finding the right opportunities, people and information was not always easy.
The environmental space was fragmented, with useful resources, professional opportunities, networks and collaborations scattered across different platforms.
Rather than simply accept the challenge, Akeredolu-Ale began thinking about how to create a platform that could bring the different parts of the ecosystem together.
Source: Getty Images
That idea eventually gave birth to Enconverge, a sustainability technology startup connecting people, organisations, opportunities, knowledge and practical solutions across Africa.
In a chat with Legit.ng, Akeredolu-Ale explained how her personal experience navigating the environmental sector shaped her vision for the business.
She said:
“I started building it upon noticing how fragmented the environmental sector was and still is. Information, opportunities, and collaborations were scattered, and I realised that there was a need for a platform that could bring stakeholders together and make access to resources and opportunities easier.”
Enconverge products connect people and opportunities
At the heart of Enconverge is an ecosystem designed to connect individuals, businesses, organisations and institutions with environmental information, services and opportunities.
The company provides sustainability and environmental career development services, sustainability advisory for businesses, households and workplaces, brand visibility and positioning, as well as research for industry, policy and academia.
Its digital products include a marketplace for eco-friendly products and services, a careers portal for professional resources and opportunities, a waste management platform, a directory, blog and news platform.
Akeredolu-Ale believes the company’s broad ecosystem approach gives it an advantage because it considers the wider environmental sector rather than focusing on only one category of users.
She explained:
“Our ecosystem approach, our rich network and commitment to rigour. We build products and deliver services with the full system in mind, not just the specific end user or client, so we are able to cater to diverse stakeholders in the environmental sector.”
This approach allows Enconverge to work across areas including careers, sustainability, research, waste management, business advisory and environmental information.
Enconverge: From personal experience to a growing business
Building Enconverge has been a gradual process.
The company is currently being bootstrapped and has also received support through micro-grants.
Rather than rushing to focus on revenue, Akeredolu-Ale said the business has concentrated on building the platform, testing its concept and creating value for its users.
She said:
“Enconverge is currently being bootstrapped and has also received support through micro-grants.”
“At this stage, our priority has been building the platform, proving the concept, and creating sustainable value before focusing on revenue and turnover.”
For Akeredolu-Ale, one of the clearest signs that the business is making progress has come from people who have used its products and services.
She described the feedback from clients as one of Enconverge’s biggest achievements.
“Our biggest achievement is the feedback from clients about how our products or services made a significant difference in their individual or business journeys.”
The feedback has reinforced her belief that the problem the company set out to solve is real and that there is demand for better connections within Africa’s environmental sector.
But building a sustainability business comes with its own challenges.
One of Enconverge’s biggest hurdles has been creating awareness about the importance of environmental action and helping people understand how it connects with their everyday lives.
Akeredolu-Ale said many people still view environmental action as a separate activity rather than something that should be integrated into everyday decisions.
She said:
“One major challenge has been awareness around the need for and benefits of concerted environmental action, or even any environmental action at all.”
Source: Getty Images
According to her, people often see environmental responsibility as something detached from their daily lives.
Akeredolu-Ale noted:
“Many people see environmental action as separate activities from their everyday, rather than something that simply requires intentionality and collaboration."
To bridge this gap, Enconverge has focused on educating its audience, developing partnerships, producing multimedia content and demonstrating the practical benefits of responsible environmental action.
For Akeredolu-Ale, changing perceptions requires more than simply telling people that environmental issues matter. It requires showing them how environmental responsibility can create value for individuals, businesses and communities.
Turning setbacks into lessons
Like other entrepreneurs, Akeredolu-Ale has had to deal with uncertainty and setbacks while building the business.
Rather than seeing those setbacks as failures, she views them as opportunities to understand what needs to change.
She said:
“I see setbacks as a part of entrepreneurship. They usually serve as an opportunity to understand what is not working and what needs to improve.”
The journey has taught her the importance of resilience and adaptability, particularly when the original plan does not always work as expected.
She said:
“Building Enconverge has taught me to remain adaptable, resilient, and most especially focused on the vision even when the process does not go exactly as planned.”
For Akeredolu-Ale, faith has also remained an important part of navigating the uncertainty that comes with building a business.
She added:
“Above all, I rely solely on God for peace, strength and wisdom."
Enconverge’s new products and expansion plans
Looking ahead, Enconverge is preparing to deepen its work through three initiatives that Akeredolu-Ale is particularly excited about: the Enconverge Marketplace, Environmental Connect and WasteConverge.
Environmental Connect is designed to support students studying environment-focused and related courses, graduates, National Youth Service Corps members and early-career professionals.
The initiative will provide masterclasses, networking, mentorship, career profiling and access to opportunities within the environmental sector.
WasteConverge is Enconverge’s flagship waste management product.
The platform is being developed to connect households, organisations and public institutions with waste management service providers, creating a more organised way for people and institutions to access waste management services.
The Enconverge Marketplace, meanwhile, is designed to provide a platform for eco-friendly products and services.
Together, the initiatives reflect the company’s wider ambition to build connections across different parts of the sustainability ecosystem.
Building Africa’s environmental future
Enconverge’s ambitions go beyond becoming another technology platform.
Akeredolu-Ale wants the company to become a major environmental and sustainability technology enterprise across Africa.
She said the company plans to expand its community, improve access to environmental opportunities and information, strengthen its platform and create more opportunities for collaboration and professional development.
She said:
“Our goal is to grow Enconverge into the foremost environmental and sustainability tech enterprise across Africa."
Akeredolu-Ale sees the company as a bridge between people and the resources they need to participate more meaningfully in the environmental sector.
“I see Enconverge as a bridge improving access to environmental knowledge and opportunities and accelerating environmental development across Africa.”
Her vision is for Africa to develop a stronger environmental ecosystem where professionals and non-professionals can find opportunities, access knowledge and contribute to solving environmental challenges.
She added:
“I see a continent with a formidable and enviable environmental sector, consisting of professionals and non-professionals, thanks to Enconverge.”
Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs
For those considering a similar path, her advice is direct:
"Start with a real problem, not just a desire to do something. Focus on creating value, be patient, remain adaptable, and keep learning.
“Your vision may start small, but consistency, resilience, collaboration, and the willingness to improve can turn it into something meaningful.”
50 Nigerians to get N320 m in funding
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that 50 Nigerian founders have been selected to receive a combined N285 million in non-dilutive funding under the Founders Lab Cohort 1 programme, an initiative of the Federal Government’s Investment in Digital and Creative Enterprises (iDICE) Programme.
The programme, delivered through the iDICE Startup Bridge and implemented by the Bank of Industry (BOI), is designed to help idea-stage entrepreneurs move from concepts to viable and sustainable businesses.
Source: Legit.ng
