University of Rwanda
giih@ur.ac.rw Kigali, Rwanda
Circular economy

OVAL Ltd

OVAL Ltd — tiles, wall tiles & pavers from waste plastics. Custom colours & shapes. From 4,000 RWF/m. Pollution-free recycling machine. GIIH Cohort 3.

OVAL Ltd produces durable building tiles, wall tiles and pavers from waste plastics using a custom recycling machine — affordable, pollution-free construction materials shaped to customer preference. Tagline: Innovation save society. A GIIH Cohort 3 venture.

  • Cohort: GIIH Cohort 3
  • Status: Product testing (May 2023) · business registered
  • Product: Plastic-waste tiles, wall tiles & pavers
  • Pricing: Pavers 4,000 RWF/m · Tiles 7,500 RWF/m · Wall tiles 6,000 RWF/m
  • Sector: Circular economy & construction
OVAL Ltd — producing tiles from waste plastics
OVAL Ltd — tiles from waste plastics. GIIH Cohort 3 pitch.

The problem

  • High cost of construction materials in Rwanda has contributed to a large number of slum buildings
  • 850 million tonnes of plastics dumped in the environment every year globally
  • Conventional plastic recycling industries also pollute the environment
Construction costs, plastic waste and recycling pollution

The solution

OVAL built a plastic recycling machine that turns waste plastic into affordable tiles without pollution. Products are durable and can be shaped and coloured to customer preference.

Pollution-free plastic tile production machine

How it works

  1. Collect waste plastics
  2. Shred using a shredding machine
  3. Fuse and mix with sand in the recycling machine
  4. Mold into tile shape using a former
Four-step production process from plastic waste to tile

Business model

  • Pavers: 4,000 RWF/m²
  • Tiles: 7,500 RWF/m²
  • Wall tiles: 6,000 RWF/m²
  • Machine sales: percentage-of-interest revenue model
Product pricing for pavers, tiles and wall tiles

Target market

  • 57 building companies in Rwanda
  • Plastic recycling industries
  • Rwanda imports more than 1,200 shipments of tiles every year — significant import substitution opportunity
Target market of building companies and tile imports

Market validation

  • 75% of respondents said they will buy due to reliability
  • 20% prefer it for flexibility in colour and shape customization
  • 5% need more than current production capacity
Customer validation survey results

Competitive advantage

  • Environmentally friendly — no pollution from production
  • User friendly in the construction process
  • Customizable — shaped into any form and any colour
Environmental and customization competitive advantages

Milestones & funding needs

  • 2021–2022: Research, machine design, and business registration
  • May 2023: Product testing

Seeking startup capital:

  • 3,570,000 RWF — to build machinery
  • 1,270,000 RWF — for resources
  • Total: 4,840,000 RWF
Milestones and funding requirements

Team

  • Gerard Tunezerwe — Founder & MD · Mechanical engineer (automobile)
  • Bigirimana Lambert — Production manager · BSc Civil Engineering
  • Byukusenge Josiane — Sales & marketing officer · Applied statistics student
  • Pierre Celestin Niyomugabo — Consultant · Funder & MD of VONSUNG Ltd
OVAL Ltd team