Meet Anga Mbeyiya: The South African Entrepreneur Turning Seaweed into Green Gold

In the heart of the Eastern Cape, Anga Mbeyiya, the visionary founder of Ole Blu, is redefining sustainability by transforming seaweed into powerful, eco-friendly solutions for agriculture and beyond. What began as a bold idea during her studies abroad has blossomed into a groundbreaking enterprise uplifting coastal communities and driving Africa’s blue economy forward.

Ole Blu sources seaweed from more than 300 cooperatives along South Africa’s coastline, converting it into organic fertiliser and developing innovative by-products such as cattle feed and sea moss gels. The result? A model that merges environmental preservation with community empowerment — proving that sustainability can be both profitable and transformative.

Mbeyiya’s journey is as inspiring as her mission. Armed with a Master’s in Sustainable Development in Maritime Studies from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, and degrees in Development Studies and Media, Communication and Culture from Nelson Mandela University, she blends academic depth with visionary leadership.

Reflecting on her career shift, she shared:

“After completing my media degree, I wasn’t sure I wanted to stay in that field. A mentor reminded me of my passion for the environment — and that’s when everything changed.”

The spark for Ole Blu was ignited in Sweden in 2019, when Mbeyiya discovered the massive potential of seaweed to advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Returning to South Africa, she launched her idea during the 2020 lockdown, determined to turn her research into impact.

Her persistence paid off. In 2023, BFA Global, an international impact innovation firm, became the first to back Ole Blu, providing crucial funding that enabled the startup to expand operations into Kenya for three years before returning home.

“Kenya gave us opportunities that were harder to find here,” Mbeyiya explained. “It’s rare in South Africa for startups to receive funding before generating revenue. I just wish the government could invest more in ideas — to invest in people.”

Today, Ole Blu partners with over 330 small-scale farmers and cooperatives, creating jobs, ensuring fair trade, and giving new economic life to communities that were once overlooked.

“I’ll never forget the day one woman cried because we were the first to buy from her co-operative — they’d registered their business in 2017 and never had a single buyer until us,” Mbeyiya recalled.

For Mbeyiya, success isn’t just measured in profits — it’s about empowerment.

“I believe the best way to uplift communities is by helping them build sustainable businesses, not by relying on social grants.”

From the shores of the Eastern Cape to the world stage, Anga Mbeyiya and Ole Blu are proving that innovation rooted in purpose can spark a wave of change — one seaweed strand at a time.