Jean Marie Nizigiyimana
MPS Class of 2025, Global Development
- Pronouns: He/him
- Grand challenge: Contribution of social enterprises in achieving the economic development of low income countries with a focus on Burundi
- Where he considers home: Gitega, Burundi
- Connect: jn544 [at] cornell.edu (Email) | LinkedIn
Jean Marie Nizigiyimana is a social entrepreneur, an innovator and youth coach from Gitega, Burundi and a current Master of Professional Studies (MPS) student in Global Development at Cornell University. He is the CEO of Jeni-Eco Company, a waste management and recycling company in Burundi. He also serves as the head of the department of environmental protection and climate change resilience within The United Forces of Partners for Sustainable Development (FUPDD). Jean Marie is the president and co-founder of Facet Jeni-Eco, a joint initiative between Facet power and Jeni-Eco Company to develop climate and energy smart solutions. He is also the Vice Chair of African biochar partnership.
Jean Marie received his bachelor's degree in Environmental Sciences from the Polytechnic University of Gitega, focusing on water-pollution-sanitation. Under the sponsorship of the US Department of State, he was selected to participate in the Humphrey Fellowship Program based at Cornell University. As a Humphrey Fellow, he was connected to different opportunities and trainings that changed his way of thinking and doing things. He attended solid waste management training at the University of Texas at Arlington and the Biochar Academy for biochar technology which has been a path for him to become the Vice Chair of the African Biochar Partnership and be part of an international Circular Bionutrient Economy Network.
After his bachelor's degree, Jean Marie initiated a waste management and recycling company in 2018 to help solve the issues of waste in Burundi with much focus first on plastic waste recycling and then waste to energy solutions. In addition to creating Jeni-Eco Company, Jean Marie held different positions within FUPDD, a local NGO that helps Burundi integrate into the East African community and contribute in community development through English clubs, women and youth empowerment, climate change resilience, and community health care promotion. Since 2015, he has led the Department of Environmental Protection and Climate Change Resilience within FUPDD where he focuses on environmental protection campaigns such as tree planting, city cleaning, and climate change.
With a solutions-oriented mindset, Jean Marie is committed to developing waste to value solutions including waste to renewable energy, plastic waste to construction material, organic waste to biochar for regenerative agriculture, waste to alternative cooking energy, and waste to diverse products. He is also passionate about working with others to promote green and affordable buildings in Burundi.