The students are Ossai Gift Chimdiuto and Ekwueme Chiziterem Noalene.

The young change makers who have been named among the top five in Africa and the top 35 global teams competing for the $100,000 Prize pool in The Earth Prize 2026, the world’s largest environmental competition and incubator for young people aged 13-19 years, introduced a circular solution that collects used textbooks from students in urban schools and redistributes them to students in rural schools in need.

In Nigeria, about 60 per cent of students in public schools lack access to basic textbooks, while millions of books are discarded, burnt or dumped in most homes every graduation year.

This contributes not only to educational inequality but also to environmental challenges such as deforestation and carbon emissions linked to new paper production.

Speaking on the inspiration behind the project, one of the student founders said: “We realized that the problem was not just a lack of books, but a failure to reuse the ones we already have, we are left with waste on one side, and need on the other. So, instead of producing more, we decided to build a system that extends the life cycle of existing textbooks.”

BookBank Africa operates by transforming abandoned spaces in urban schools into school-based BookBank Hubs, where students and parents can donate textbooks they no longer need every graduation cycle.

These books are then sorted, catalogued, and redistributed to rural schools where they are most needed.

To ensure accountability and scalability, the team also developed the BookBanka App, a digital inventory system that tracks every book donation and distribution as well as enables coordination across participating schools.

According to the student co-founder: “Our goal is to build a sustainable, student-driven model that reduces waste, cuts carbon emissions, and improves access to quality education, not just in one community, but across Nigeria and eventually Africa at large.”

Early implementation of the project has already seen active student participation in book collection drives and the establishment of the First BookBank Hub structures, demonstrating the model’s potential for scale.

The Road to the Global Title

Having secured their spot in the elite Top 35, Team BookBank Africa is now advancing to the Regional Phase.

They are currently vying to become the Regional Winner for Africa.

If successful, they will represent the entire continent in the final stage, competing against six other continental winners for the grand global title and the top cash prize to scale their innovation.

The Voices Behind the Success

Commenting on the milestone, the Principal of FGC Enugu, Mr Ezekiel Ogbuanya, stated:  “We are immensely proud of Team BookBank Africa. They have shown that with hard work and a vision for a better society, there are no limits to what young people can achieve . To be ranked among the Top 5 teams in Africa and the Top 35 globally in world’s largest environmental competition like the Earth Prize is no small feat, this is a win for the “Unity School System, Nigeria and Africa at large. The entire FGC Enugu community is behind them as they advance toward the regional finals and, hopefully, bring the global title home to Nigeria.”

Ifediba Stella Ifeoma, their teacher mentor who is an award winning Civic Education teacher and Founder/Facilitator of the SDGs ChangeMakers Club where the students developed their project, added: “At FGC Enugu, we don’t just teach; we empower students to identify problems and be the solution. Ranking in the Global Top 35 proves that when Nigerian students are given the right platform and necessary support, they can compete with the best in the world. We are grateful to the Earth Prize sponsors and Organizers for their commitment in grooming and empowering young environmental innovators across the world and we are ready to bring that global title home to represent the power of African youth innovation.”

The students are now seeking partnerships with schools, communities, organisations and other stakeholders to expand the initiative across multiple urban schools and deepen its impact.

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