Bilikiss Adebiyi, also known as Bilikiss Adebiyi Abiola, is a Nigerian CEO of a recycling company, Wecyclers, based in Lagos. She graduated from MIT and became known for a novel approach to recycling based on tricycles and SMS.
How were the early years of Bilikiss
Adebiyi was born in the city of Lagos, where she attended the Supreme Education Foundation Secondary School. She entered the University of Lagos but left after one year to complete her studies in the United States. She graduated from Fisk University and then went to Vanderbilt University, where she earned a master’s degree. She worked for IBM for five years before deciding to pursue further education. Adebiyi was accepted to study for a Master of Business Administration (MBA) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
MIT is where she first succeeded with her recycling business idea. During her second year at MIT, she studied waste management as her area of focus. Her initial idea was to increase the amount of waste collected from households by offering them raffle tickets in exchange. When she discussed this idea during a vacation in Nigeria, she was surprised by how enthusiastic people were.
The waste problem
Garbage is a particular issue in Lagos, as only a small percentage is regularly collected by waste companies. Adebiyi took the idea back to MIT, where she was able to gain support by entering her project in competitions. Her husband had always lived in Nigeria, so there was a strong reason for her to return to Lagos after her graduation in 2012. While her children were at school, she dedicated every day to setting up her new recycling business, which she named Wecyclers.