Andrew Mupuya is the founder of Uganda's first registered paper bag company. Youth Entrepreneurial Link Investments (YELI) is supplying restaurants, supermarkets and medical centers in Kampala.
Jessica Ellis / CNN
Building a paper empire —
The 21-year-old entrepreneur has received several awards, including the Anzisha Prize in 2012.
Jessica Ellis / CNN
Building a paper empire —
Mupuya employs 16 staff who produce up to 20,000 bags a week from inside a small workshop near the bustling center of Kampala.
Jessica Ellis / CNN
Not so plastic fantasic —
At school in 2008, Mupuya learned of the hazards of (plastic polythene bags. He spotted both a business opportunity and a chance to make an environmental impact by producing paper bags after the Ugandan government said it was looking to ban plastic bags.
Jessica Elli / CNN
Building a paper empire —
All of YELI's bags are hand-made, and this is one of the bigger challenges that Mupuya faces. "My next step is to get machine because I am only able to supply 5% of the demands I have," he says.
Jessica Ellis / CNN
Building a paper empire —
"My vision is to have a cleaner Africa by eradicating use of plastic bags and emphasis on paper recycling," says Mupuya.
