Expanding Our Research Network: Progress Across Southern Africa

As we reach the end of our first quarter of 2025, Pass NetZero is excited to share significant progress in our mission to develop cost-efficient carbon capture solutions using aquatic plants across Southern Africa.

Our research network continues to grow and strengthen. At the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST), our four master’s students are nearing completion of Phase 1, having successfully developed experimental methodologies and begun collecting samples of promising species like Ulva rigida. Their work is laying the foundation for understanding how aquatic plants can effectively capture carbon while producing valuable materials like bio-bricks and bioplastics.

In Malawi, our partnership with Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR) has officially launched, with funding disbursed and initial research activities underway. Despite some communication challenges due to infrastructure limitations, the team is making steady progress on literature reviews and site identification.

A Major Milestone: Fourth Research Team

We’re particularly excited to announce the development of our fourth research initiative—a groundbreaking multi-country collaboration focusing on the Kavango River ecosystem. This ambitious project will span Namibia, Botswana, and Angola, representing our most comprehensive regional approach to date.

This expansion is more than just geographic growth. We’re planning to offer six additional scholarships through this initiative, potentially doubling our student researcher numbers by year’s end. This represents a significant scaling of our research capacity and demonstrates our commitment to building comprehensive knowledge across diverse aquatic ecosystems.

Our communications team has been instrumental in this growth, developing standardized reporting systems, enhancing our digital presence, and establishing the frameworks necessary to coordinate research across multiple countries and institutions.

As we move forward, these expanded partnerships position Pass NetZero to deliver more robust, regionally-relevant solutions for carbon capture and environmental restoration across Southern Africa.

Read our full 6-week progress report below.