In a time when innovation must move beyond ideas to real impact, a group of visionary students from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) is proving that waste can indeed become wealth.
Peellnnova Limited Company, a student-founded startup, has emerged as one of the top winners at the GreenTech Innovation Challenge 2025 (GTIC) — securing a ₵100,000 grant to scale its groundbreaking eco-friendly innovation that turns discarded fruit peels and wood residues into mosquito-repelling products.
What most people throw away, Peellnnova is transforming into a sustainable shield against one of Ghana’s deadliest diseases — malaria. Their innovation brilliantly tackles two pressing national challenges at once: poor waste management and mosquito-borne diseases. It’s not just clever — it’s a visionary example of how Ghana’s youth can lead sustainable change.
The GreenTech Innovation Challenge, celebrates young changemakers using technology to address environmental and social challenges. Peellnnova’s win among hundreds of strong contenders affirms the strength of their concept — and the ₵100,000 prize provides the momentum to refine their products, conduct testing, and move toward market readiness.
Beyond the prize, Peellnnova’s journey carries a powerful message for every student: innovation begins with observation. The team didn’t start with fancy tech or huge capital — they simply looked around, saw waste and disease, and asked, “What if one problem could solve another?”
Their story reminds us that education isn’t just about grades — it’s about creative problem-solving. It’s about using what’s around you to build what the world needs. Peellnnova is turning classroom knowledge into community impact, and in doing so, redefining what student entrepreneurship in Ghana looks like.
Scientifically, their idea is solid. Fruit peels, especially citrus, contain natural mosquito-repelling compounds such as limonene and citronellal. Combined with wood residues, these can be crafted into eco-friendly candles, sprays, and diffusers that protect people without harming the environment — a clean, affordable, and scalable solution aligned with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
As the young innovators prepare to expand and refine their products, they face the exciting challenge of scaling responsibly — ensuring safety standards, improving shelf life, and forming partnerships with health and environmental institutions. Their victory at GTIC however signals that they are already well on their way.
For every Ghanaian student reading this, Peellnnova’s story should spark something powerful: you don’t need to wait for the perfect time, place, or funding to make an impact. Sometimes, the next big idea is hidden in plain sight — even in what others discard.
Peellnnova isn’t just turning peels into products; they’re turning potential into purpose — and inspiring a new generation to see opportunity in every challenge.
