Pankahan Anita Roseline Kini is a Burkinabe entrepreneur who is an expert in coordinating social and environmental projects. An electrical engineer, she holds a master's degree in Business Administration, Water Energy and Environment. Growing up in a rural area without electricity, Anita became interested in electricity problems. She challenged herself to resolve electricity issues in her home community by designing solar lamps from recycled materials. As a result, she was named Young Entrepreneur of the Year by the Women's Initiatives for Development Fair in Ouagadougou. In 2019, through the South African program Women in Power Africa,   she forged strong links with other women entrepreneurs from other countries. Anita is the founder of ILENGA, a social initiative focused on preserving the environment through the manufacture of building materials and innovative furniture from waste. 

IVLP Impact Award Project: Training 20 Women in the Recycling Business

The project trained 20 women from Koudougou and Bobo Dioulasso in the recycling business. Training modules focused on entrepreneurship, waste collection techniques, waste treatment, waste weaving, production of plastic paving stones and marketing and sales techniques.

"Before participating in this project, I did not know much about recycling in Bobo Dioulasso. Now I can pass on what I have learned to my family and friends, and I feel more involved in the protecting our planet." - Project Participant

IVLP Exchange Experience

Pankahan participated in the IVLP Project Women and Entrepreneurship, organized by the U.S. Department of State and the American Councils for International Education, in partnership with World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth, WorldChicago and Global Ties San Francisco.

Pankahan's exchange experience led to the development of her IVLP Impact Award Project: "I enjoyed everything about the IVLP program, and I leave with the feeling of having a mission to fulfill for a better world."

U.S. Communities Visited

Phoenix, AZ; Washington, DC; Miami, FL; Detroit, MI; Kansas City, OK

Country: Burkina Faso 

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