Nigerian Innovators Create Eco-Friendly Sanitary Pads

Oghenekevwe William and Nwagboso Prayer, young innovators from Plateau State, Nigeria, have created an eco-friendly sanitary pad named Girlified, utilizing banana stem fiber, organic cotton, and cassava starch, making it fully biodegradable within six months. This initiative emerged from research conducted at the University of Jos under the Naza Agape Foundation, aiming to tackle period poverty and plastic pollution.

The team began product development in 2021 and launched Girlified in 2022. Since then, they have produced over two million sanitary pads and reached more than 70,000 women and girls across Nigeria.

Their production facility can manufacture approximately 30,000 pads daily, significantly improving access to menstrual products in communities where affordability has been a barrier. The project has garnered international attention and received support from the Canadian Government through the Afri-Plastics Challenge, which focuses on reducing plastic waste and promoting sustainable innovations.

Prayer emphasizes that Girlified is about more than just producing sanitary pads; it also addresses education, welfare, and menstrual hygiene.