Millions of girls struggle with period poverty, but two Nigerians turn banana waste into cheap sanitary pads

• Two Nigerian innovators developed biodegradable sanitary pads from banana stem fibre to tackle period poverty.

• The pads are affordable, decompose within six months and help reduce plastic pollution.

• The company has produced over two million pads and reached more than 70,000 women and girls across Nigeria.

• The innovation started as a University of Jos research project and later received support through the Afri-Plastics Challenge backed by the Canadian Government.

For millions of girls across Nigeria and other parts of Africa, menstruation is more than just a monthly experience. It is one of the reasons many miss school, skip work or stay indoors because they cannot afford sanitary pads.

Now, two young innovators from Plateau State are trying to change that story with an unusual solution, making sanitary pads from banana stems.

The eco-friendly sanitary pad, known as Girlified, was developed from research carried out at the University of Jos under the Naza Agape Foundation. Instead of relying on plastic materials used in many conventional sanitary pads, the product is made from banana stem fibre, organic cotton and cassava starch, making it fully biodegradable within six months.

The project was born after its founders noticed two growing problems affecting communities across Africa, period poverty and plastic pollution.

Lead researcher and co-founder Oghenekevwe William said the inspiration came from seeing girls and women repeatedly miss important parts of their lives because of something completely natural.

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"As somebody who has lots of sisters and has female friends and has younger ones, it pained me to see that there are women still in this time and age who are not able to go to school or go to work because of a natural thing like their own menstruation."

According to him, the team began developing the product in 2021.

"We started Girlified Pad in 2021. We make sanitary pads from natural materials like plant-based fibres including banana stem and natural cotton. The goal is to reduce period poverty among local women and girls who are not able to access and afford sanitary pads and also to reduce plastic pollution from conventional sanitary brands."

Since launching the product in 2022, the impact has continued to grow.

William said the company has already produced more than two million sanitary pads, while reaching over 70,000 women and girls across Nigeria. The production facility is also capable of making about 30,000 pads every day.

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He believes affordability is making a real difference in communities where many girls previously struggled to access menstrual products.

"We have produced over two million pieces of pads and we have impacted over 70,000 women and girls all over Nigeria. There are women and girls who have used our pads and most of these women currently are even able to go to school and go to work during their periods because of our pad, because it is affordable and accessible to them even in places where other brands cannot reach."

One of the users, who is also a student, shared how the product has boosted confidence among young girls.

"With Girlified Pad we come to school with greater confidence. Knowing we can afford this with our pocket money gives us dignity."

The innovation has also attracted international attention. The research received support from the Canadian Government through the Afri-Plastics Challenge, a programme focused on reducing plastic waste while encouraging sustainable innovations.

Co-founder Nwagboso Prayer, who also leads the Naza Agape Foundation, said Girlified is about more than producing sanitary pads.

"As a girls and women advocate, I am very concerned about period poverty and the harmful impact plastics from sanitary pads have on our ecosystem and oceans. For that reason, we have manufactured Girlified to counter both plastic pollution and period poverty."

Prayer has led education, welfare and menstrual hygiene programmes that have impacted more than 18,000 people, while the foundation continues distributing free sanitary pads to girls in underserved communities.

With millions of girls across Africa still facing challenges accessing menstrual hygiene products, innovations like Girlified are proving that solutions can come from locally available materials, even something as common as banana waste.