Nzalakanda-Noble Dabri Loïc from the Republic of the Congo is OD Young Person of the Month – September 2026 – YOA

Nzalakanda-Noble Dabri Loïc is a younger social entrepreneur from the Republic of the Congo and Co-Founder of AquaPlay, an modern platform utilizing expertise and gamification to rework environmental training and encourage motion for ocean conservation. Driven by the perception that expertise can do greater than entertain, Loïc is working to make studying about marine ecosystems partaking, accessible and motion-oriented, notably for younger individuals. Through AquaPlay, he is demonstrating how domestically developed digital options can assist construct a brand new technology of environmentally aware residents.

Background and Work

Loïc’s work sits at the intersection of expertise, youth engagement and environmental conservation. Growing up in the Republic of the Congo, a rustic wealthy in pure assets and home to coastal communities whose livelihoods are carefully related to the ocean, he turned more and more involved about the restricted understanding of marine biodiversity and environmental safety amongst many younger individuals. At the identical time, he noticed how deeply expertise, cellular gadgets and digital platforms have been turning into embedded in the on a regular basis lives of younger individuals. Rather than seeing this rising digital engagement merely as a type of leisure, Loïc started desirous about how expertise might develop into a device for training and social motion. That considering in the end led to AquaPlay. AquaPlay transforms environmental training into an interactive expertise. The platform combines studying with gamification to assist customers perceive marine ecosystems whereas encouraging them to take part actively in defending them. Through interactive challenges, marine species recognition actions, citizen reporting instruments and a group platform, customers can study biodiversity, establish environmental points and develop into part of a wider group taking motion for the ocean. At the centre of AquaPlay is a easy concept: environmental training turns into extra highly effective when persons are not solely informed about an issue however are given sensible and fascinating methods to develop into part of the resolution.

How It Started
The concept for AquaPlay grew from a query Loïc stored returning to:What if expertise might be used not simply to entertain younger individuals, however to teach them and encourage environmental motion? For Loïc, the disconnect between younger individuals and environmental points introduced each a problem and an OPPORTUNITY. Although conversations round local weather change, air pollution and biodiversity have gotten more and more seen globally, environmental info can generally really feel distant from the on a regular basis experiences of younger individuals. Traditional approaches to environmental training may additionally battle to compete with the interactive digital platforms that more and more form how younger individuals talk, be taught and spend their time. Loïc wished to bridge this hole. Together together with his co-founder, he started growing AquaPlay as a platform the place environmental studying might develop into interactive, sensible and pleasurable. Instead of positioning younger individuals merely as recipients of environmental info, AquaPlay encourages them to develop into learners, observers, reporters and energetic contributors in defending marine ecosystems.

Successes So Far
AquaPlay’s journey has already gained recognition inside each the innovation and environmental communities. The undertaking gained second place at the Ocean Hackathon in Pointe-Noire, an innovation occasion bringing collectively contributors to develop options to challenges dealing with the ocean. For Loïc and the AquaPlay group, the recognition supplied essential validation {that a} expertise-pushed strategy to marine training and conservation might provide a significant response to environmental challenges. AquaPlay reached one other main milestone when it was chosen amongst the 12 world finalists of the Opportunity Desk Impact Challenge 2025. Being recognised on a worldwide platform strengthened Loïc’s conviction that options developed by younger African innovators can reply to native challenges whereas carrying relevance far past their speedy communities. But for Loïc, awards aren’t the final measure of success. What issues most is AquaPlay’s potential to assist younger individuals see themselves in a different way: not merely as individuals inheriting environmental issues, however as people succesful of contributing to their options. Each younger one who learns a couple of marine species, stories an environmental concern, participates in a problem or turns into extra aware of their relationship with nature represents one other step in the direction of the future AquaPlay is working to create.

Challenges and How They Were Faced
Building AquaPlay has not been with out challenges. Like many younger African innovators and social entrepreneurs, Loïc and his group have needed to navigate restricted funding alternatives, technical constraints and entry to assets whereas trying to develop an formidable expertise-based mostly resolution. There have been intervals when progress has been slower than anticipated and when restricted assets have required the group to rethink how they develop and develop the platform. Rather than permitting these constraints to cease the undertaking, Loïc has tried to strategy them as part of the innovation course of. The expertise has taught him the significance of persistence, adaptability and persevering with to construct even when best situations don’t exist. Each problem has pushed the AquaPlay group to suppose in a different way about what is doable with the assets obtainable to them. For Loïc, being a younger innovator in Africa means studying to create inside constraints whereas refusing to permit these constraints to outline the scale of one’s ambition.

Plans for the Future
Loïc’s imaginative and prescient extends far past constructing a digital platform. His dream is to contribute to a technology of younger Africans who perceive the significance of biodiversity, recognise their duty in the direction of the setting and have the information and instruments to develop options of their very own. Through AquaPlay, he hopes to develop entry to partaking environmental training whereas strengthening the connection between expertise, citizen participation and conservation. The lengthy-time period ambition is to construct a platform succesful of reaching extra younger individuals and communities, deepening understanding of marine ecosystems and inspiring on a regular basis environmental motion. Loïc additionally sees monumental potential in inserting younger Africans at the centre of environmental innovation. Across the continent, younger persons are more and more utilizing expertise to reply to challenges in training, healthcare, agriculture, finance and civic participation. He believes environmental safety ought to be part of that very same innovation motion. Ultimately, AquaPlay is working in the direction of a future the place studying about the setting doesn’t cease with consciousness, however results in participation and motion. For Loïc, the journey is one learner, one group and one motion at a time.

Words of Advice for Young Changemakers
Loïc’s journey is a reminder to younger changemakers that significant concepts usually start with paying shut consideration to the issues round them. Do not assume that options should come from elsewhere. Look at the challenges inside your personal group and ask what you possibly can contribute with the abilities, expertise and assets obtainable to you. Challenges will come, notably when constructing one thing new with restricted assets.