Ugandan innovator turns the most unfruitful part of a banana—the stem into eco-friendly fabric. While this technology has existed in different parts of Asia, In Uganda repurposing the stem has been limited to crafts and other inventions.Mawejje Muhammed Dimma set himself apart by being the first Ugandan to create fabric from a wasted stem.


After several tries, he developed a washable, foldable, and breathable fabric dubbed 'Commune fabric'. Extracted yarn is combined with cotton to achieve the final fabric, which can be manipulated to create different products that include bags and shoes.