Muhammed Dimma Mawejje recycles banana fibre to create jobs for the youth.

He works with banana growers, who are mostly women and youth, to improve their livelihoods.

At Mawejje Creations, a banana fibre centre, and Eco Crafts Ug in Kitegomba, Kasangati, the 27-year-old heads a team of 17 youth.

They make and sell mats, plaques, wall clocks, jewellery and bags made from banana fibre.

“I have so far trained 10 banana growers to make these products, equipped 166 youth with hands-on skills and recycled more than 2,100 kgs of banana waste,” he explains.

Wall clock made out of fibre

As the founder, trainer and team leader, Mawejje articulates the vision, mission, and goals of the enterprises to members as he steers the marketing, branding and production departments.

Alongside running those enterprises, Mawejje is also a facilitator at Kyusa Uganda, an organisation that accelerates employability for young people. He is also a chef with a certificate in hotel management, specialising in the kitchen from Uganda Youth Development Link, and works as the operational manager at Rafiki Catering Services.

Owing to his social entrepreneurship, he has so far earned 12 local and global recognitions with six awards scooped last year and another six this year. He has also got platforms, where he supports other entrepreneurs.

For example, he is a fellow at African Presidential Leadership program batch 3 2020, YALI (Young African Leaders Initiative) cohort 38 Fellow and Alumni 2020, innovation award winner under ATCG Community Fund and Readers to Leaders Fellow 2019.

In 2019, he became a World Youth Forum Delegate, African Change-makers fellow 2019, Visionary Leader Award Nominee and African Younger Leaders Award Finalist.

Jewerly from banana fibre

“My vision is to support and improve peoples’ lives. I use different media platforms to share insights on how to make it in entrepreneurship even without funding,” he explains.

On what makes him tick, Mawejje relies on his strengths, ability, confidence, passion for solving problems in his community using entrepreneurial skills, and determination to see every task through no matter what.

But most importantly, he believes in a community where everyone achieves more.

“No one should be above the other because working with me goes beyond work, but is an opportunity to live your passion. You achieve as I achieve,” he says.

Career ladder

Mawejje entered the job market in 2009 as a chef and professionalized it in 2010, but in 2016 he resigned and took another path of life. He ventured into social entrepreneurship mainly to create solutions to pressing challenges in  Africa.

“I launched my first project; making liquid soap in 2016. It did not go far and in 2017, I launched another in candle making,” he recalls.

Within six months, he shifted and revisited his pioneer project because he was passionate about it: recycling banana fibres.

“I launched it in 2018 as a social enterprise focusing on banana growers to earn extra income,” he says, adding that he also wanted to create job opportunities for disadvantaged youth and women in rural and urban communities of Uganda.

During the lockdown, Mawejje started another initiative; EcoBanana Fibre Products to sell hand woven products made by young artisans from hard-to-reach communities. 

He also runs an annual program; BAFETE 2019 (Banana Fibre Extraction Training Editions) which equips women and youth with extraction and hand craft skills.

“I am working on a business incubation program to help youth start businesses in banana fibres,” he shares.

Education background

For his primary education, Mawejje went to Kimanya Al Islamic primary school in Masaka, from where he joined Cornerstone high school Wakiso and Wobulenzi College Luwero for his O and A levels, respectively.

He also enrolled for certificates at: Uganda Development Link Masooli Wakiso for a culinary course; National Training Academy in Cairo for a course with modules in cyber security, international marketing and crisis management; and at Social Innovations Academy in Mpigi Uganda for a certificate in social innnovations.

Inspiration

If granted 20 minutes to meet anyone, Mawejje would split it between two people. One of them is Simon Senik an American author, optimist and infinite leader. Mawejje would like to find out how he was before making it in life, because it’s very hard to articulate his ideology and words by listening and reading!

He would also ask to meet Apostle Grace Lubega of Phaneroo Ministries, who has answered most of Mawejje’s questions on salvation.

“He has done a lot for me spiritually, but I have never met him,” he says.

And if he is to come back to life as someone else, Mawejje would still choose Lubega, because he has encountered different challenges in life. Mawejje says he would gladly brave them and yearns for the heart of God, which he says dwells in Lubega.

Future prospects

In ten years’ time, Mawejje envisions being a well-established social entrepreneur and investor supervising hundreds of women, who will be running businesses that transform banana fibres into fabrics.

“The entire world has embraced banana fibre as a suitable material for the fashion industry,” he says.