Rising Tide Africa, a women-led pan-African angel investment network, has committed up to ₦1.4 billion (US$1 million) to Ororo Waste Management Limited to expand used cooking oil collection across Nigeria. The Lagos-based company collects, certifies, and exports used cooking oil from households, markets, restaurants, and institutions for global biofuel markets. The funding will support working capital, feedstock purchases, and the expansion of collection infrastructure beyond its existing hubs in Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt.
Funding Purpose and Expansion Plans
Ororo Waste received the first allocation on September 16, and Rising Tide Africa may release further tranches until December 16, 2026. The company plans to grow from three existing collection hubs to more than 40 hubs nationwide within five years. The investment will also fund drums, trucks, hub storage, and same-day payments to collectors.
Capturing an Underserved Waste Stream
Nigeria generates an estimated 840,000 metric tons of used cooking oil annually, but more than 95% of that volume currently goes uncaptured, according to Ororo Waste. The company sees discarded cooking oil as a valuable feedstock for sustainable aviation fuel and biodiesel. Its collection platform uses GPS tracking and QR codes to trace oil from collector drums to export containers.
Gender-Lens Investing and Social Impact
Rising Tide Africa described the commitment as gender-lens investing in practice, with capital following the value women already create in the collection chain. The partnership aims to expand economic participation for market women, waste pickers, and youths who are often paid inconsistently. Ayo Banjo, co-chief executive officer of Ororo Waste, said the funding supports essential infrastructure that allows same-day payment to collectors in locations such as Alausa.
Certification and Traceability
Ororo Waste holds International Sustainability and Carbon Certification as a collector and exporter of used cooking oil. The company says it has exported thousands of metric tons without quality rejections, using mobile money payments and digital tracking. Co-CEO Ayo Banjo said European refiners buy documented, ISCC-certified tons rather than good intentions.
Foundations in Lagos and Training
The investment builds on a July training program organized with the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, Shell Foundation, and the Waste Pickers Association of Nigeria. About 250 market women, waste pickers, and youths were trained on safe collection, handling, storage, quality assurance, and traceability of used cooking oil. The training was part of Ororo's partnership with Lagos State to expand household collection through LASEPA's zonal offices.
Development Targets and Reporting
Under preliminary five-year targets, Ororo Waste wants to grow its formally paid collector network from roughly 5,000 people to more than 200,000 by 2031. The company also plans to increase certified used cooking oil collection to more than 150,000 metric tons annually by 2031. Women would account for at least half of newly onboarded market-level collection points, with the potential to reach 75%.
Climate-Tech Momentum
Ororo Waste's fundraising also highlights broader momentum in African climate-tech, as local companies convert waste into economic resources. In September, Nigerian climate-tech startup Biochar Industrial Group raised US$1.5 million to convert agricultural waste from food-processing factories into biochar and carbon-removal credits. Ororo Waste expects its expansion to create formal income opportunities in a segment dominated by informal labor.
Rising Tide Africa's commitment provides Ororo Waste with flexible capital to scale formal collection infrastructure while improving livelihoods across Nigeria. The partnership will track income and employment outcomes, including a baseline survey of the first onboarded collector cohort from the July training by the end of 2026. The deal reflects growing investor interest in African climate-tech businesses that turn local waste streams into economic and environmental value.