Julian Brown, a 22-year-old self-taught inventor from Georgia, USA, has developed a solar-powered microwave pyrolysis system.

His groundbreaking invention converts plastic waste into usable fuels like diesel, gasoline, and jet fuel—offering hope for regions battling severe plastic pollution, including Africa.

Brown, founder of NatureJab, began experimenting in high school and has built multiple prototypes of his “Plastoline” reactor. The process uses microwave heating—powered by solar panels—to break down plastics in an oxygen-free environment, producing refined fuels that independent lab tests confirm are functional and cleaner-burning than some conventional options.

Despite suffering second-degree burns from an early explosion and facing funding challenges (raising only tens of thousands toward a $1 million goal), Brown has demonstrated the fuel powering vehicles, including a recent test in a Dodge Scat Pack.

His innovation builds on established pyrolysis technology but focuses on small-scale, renewable-powered units suitable for local waste management.

In Africa, where massive plastic dumps contribute to environmental and health issues, such decentralized solutions could transform waste into affordable energy while reducing pollution.

Brown gained viral fame on social media in 2025 but briefly went offline amid personal security concerns, later confirmed safe by family.

Experts note scalability and safety challenges remain, but his work highlights grassroots innovation in sustainable energy.

Chidinma Nwaigwe has made history in the United Kingdom after becoming the first Black female President of the Leicestershire Law Society (LLS) and the youngest president in the association’s 166-year history.

At just 33, Nwaigwe, a Nigerian-born lawyer known professionally as @sassybarrister, will serve as President for the 2025/2026 term, marking a major milestone not only for the regional law society but also for Nigerians in the diaspora navigating global legal spaces.

A graduate of the University of Abuja, Nwaigwe was called to the Nigerian Bar in 2016 before relocating to the UK in 2019. She later qualified as a solicitor of England and Wales and is currently a dual-qualified real estate lawyer with Edward Connor Solicitors.

Her trailblazing achievement was recently recognised by the British Nigeria Law Forum (BNLF), which honoured her during its Annual Gala Dinner and Awards held at the historic Great Hall of Lincoln’s Inn in London. The event celebrated outstanding contributions to the legal profession and the strengthening of UK–Nigeria legal ties.

The 2025 Gala marked a significant moment for the BNLF as it approaches its 25th anniversary, drawing more than 220 guests from leading law firms, government, business, and both the UK and Nigerian legal communities. Attendees included senior figures such as Florence Eshalomi, UK Special Envoy to Nigeria; Helen Grant OBE, Shadow Solicitor General; Mark Evans, President of the Law Society; and Kirsty Brimelow KC, Vice Chair of the Bar Council.

BNLF Chair Kash Balogun described the atmosphere at Lincoln’s Inn as “truly inspiring,” noting that the forum has evolved from a small network of Nigerian lawyers into a powerful platform for cross-border collaboration, mentorship, and commercial connectivity.

In recent months, the BNLF has expanded its footprint with an inaugural legal conference and gala in Lagos, the establishment of a Lagos Committee, and a series of networking events and legal seminars across Nigeria and the UK. Vice-Chair Genevieve Wakeley-Jones, who is dual-qualified in Nigeria and England and Wales, described the organisation as “a bridge between the UK and Nigeria.”

During the gala, Nwaigwe was honoured alongside Chinwe Odimba-Chapman, a leading employment lawyer who earlier this year became the first Black Managing Partner of Clifford Chance’s flagship London office. Both women were recognised for their groundbreaking leadership and impact on the legal profession.

“Having Mark Evans, President of The Law Society, present my award made the moment even more meaningful,” Nwaigwe told Africa Legal. “To be recognised on the same night as Chinwe Odimba-Chapman felt surreal—a genuine pinch-me moment.”

Reflecting on her journey, Nwaigwe described the BNLF as “a bridge between cultures, legal traditions, and the lived journeys of people like me,” adding that recognition from a community that understands both the challenges and opportunities of the diaspora carries deep significance.

Her rise underscores a broader narrative resonating across Africa and its diaspora: that global impact is not limited by where one begins. For young lawyers in Ghana, Nigeria, and beyond, Nwaigwe’s story stands as a powerful reminder that leadership, representation, and possibility can transcend borders.

Long before Dr. Michael Pami Obeng became a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon with a global client list and a multimillion-dollar practice, he was a boy in Ghana who shared a single pit latrine with neighbours and wiped with corn husks because his family could not afford toilet paper.

Today, he drives a Rolls-Royce through Los Angeles and is regarded as one of the most in-demand Black plastic surgeons in the United States.

A new short documentary clip by filmmaker and storyteller Steven Ndukwu—now trending across social media—follows Dr. Obeng through a full day in Beverly Hills, offering a rare window into the journey behind the success.

“If Beverly Hills is the cosmetic capital of America, then Dr. Obeng is one of the names shaping that empire,” Ndukwu narrates. “There are more plastic surgeons in Beverly Hills than the entire continent of Africa—and he’s one of the few who rose to the top.”

Dr. Obeng’s career has been anything but ordinary. At just 33, he became the youngest chief of plastic surgery at his hospital, earning around half a million dollars a year. But it is his reputation for taking on “surgeries nobody else can do”—complex reconstructive procedures, often for patients who have been turned away elsewhere—that has cemented his place in the field.

“My first encounter with him was through a viral School of Hard Knocks interview,” Ndukwu says in the video.

The filmmaker then follows Obeng from patient consultations to the operating room, capturing the contrast between the surgeon’s Los Angeles lifestyle and the circumstances he left behind in Ghana.

“I knew I didn’t want to live in Ghana,” Obeng reflects in the clip. “We grew up without a toothbrush… fast-forward 30-something years later and here I am.”

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His candor is striking—not dismissive of home but clear about the hunger that pushed him to pursue opportunities abroad. Ndukwu’s upcoming series, which features Africans building businesses across the U.S. and Canada, frames Obeng’s story as part of a growing wave of African professionals reshaping industries far from the continent while remaining deeply connected to it.

Obeng’s journey—raw, improbable, and determined—continues to resonate with audiences who see in him an epitome of ambition without apology.