MINNA, NIGERIA A 15-year-old innovator from Niger state is tackling two of Africa’s most pressing challenges, plastic pollution and period poverty, with a single, eco-friendly solution.
Raheema Auwal-Panti has successfully transformed agricultural waste into biodegradable sanitary pads. Her startup, PantiPads, founded in 2025, utilizes abundant local biomass to create a sustainable alternative to conventional menstrual products, which typically contain up to 90% plastic and can take centuries to decompose.
Turning Pollution Into a Solution
In northern Nigeria, processing staple crops like cassava generates massive amounts of agricultural waste. Left unmanaged, the solid and liquid byproducts — including cassava peelings, corn husks, and banana leaves — lead to severe environmental degradation, polluting local water bodies and contaminating soil.
Auwal-Panti recognized this discarded biomass not as trash, but as raw material. By processing these organic remnants into absorbent, easily decomposable sanitary pads, she is effectively “sweeping up” both plastic and agricultural pollution in her home state.
“If no one does something about it, I could do something about it,” Auwal-Panti said regarding her motivation to address Nigeria’s plastic waste crisis.
Breaking the Menstrual Stigma
Beyond the environmental benefits, PantiPads addresses a critical public health and social issue. For many women and girls in Nigeria, reliable access to safe sanitary products remains a significant hurdle. The lack of access often fuels menstrual stigma, which directly impacts girls’ educational attendance and overall well-being.
Conventional options are often laden with chemicals and plastics, raising health concerns. “The pad is used for some of the most sensitive parts of the human body,” Auwal-Panti noted. “People have a very safe option in eco-friendly sanitary pads. Using these wastes to develop eco-friendly pads is currently helping to address menstrual stigma.”
Global Recognition and Next Steps
The young entrepreneur’s dual-impact model has not gone unnoticed on the global stage. Auwal-Panti’s initiative was selected as one of just 35 global teams shortlisted for the 2026 Earth Prize. Organized by the Switzerland-based Earth Foundation, the prestigious award empowers and funds young people actively tackling environmental challenges.
While public voting for the global award recently closed, the work for PantiPads is just beginning.
Auwal-Panti’s long-term vision is to establish a local manufacturing hub in Nigeria, which would create jobs and reduce reliance on imported, plastic-heavy products. For now, her team is focusing on building relationships with existing manufacturers to thoroughly understand operational requirements and production systems before scaling up their own facilities.
PantiPads is also pushing for wider systemic change. Backed by local business leaders, the startup is running campaigns to educate consumers about sustainable alternatives and calling on policymakers to act.
“African governments have a very key role to play in formulating policy shifts to transition from plastic pads to biodegradable sanitary products,” Auwal-Panti said.
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