Ibadan , Nigeria ( CNN ) Along the Niger Delta , an abundance of vivid purple flowers are blooming gently on the surface of the water , adding a touch of color to the inland waterways . But that 's where the beauty ends because these striking flowers are water hyacinths -- an aquatic weed wreaking havoc in local communities and ruining water supplies . Not only does this fast-growing water pest curtail access to waterways and cause problems for local fishermen , it also depletes nutrients from the water , which in turn reduces fish populations . But where many see an invasive aquatic nuisance , Nigerian entrepreneur Achenyo Idachaba identified a business opportunity . Setting up shop in Ibadan , a city in the south-west region of Nigeria , she began harvesting the water hyacinth and transforming the waste product into intricately handcrafted everyday items . `` What we do is take an environmental problem and turn it into a win-win solution , '' Idachaba explains . The 46-year-old entrepreneur has always had a passion for sustainable development . Over the years she has consulted on various environmental projects relating to waste recovery . But turning these watery weeds into a tangible , bespoke craft was the first idea to really catch her entrepreneurial eye . Splitting her time between Nigeria and the United States -- where she was born -- she finally returned from the diaspora in 2009 and three years later founded MitiMeth . In 2013 , the company was awarded a grant from the Federal Government of Nigeria allowing the small startup to grow and take seven full-time staff on board as well as provide work opportunities to local artisans during busy periods . Making each craft depends on the climate and having enough hands to work . The weeds are harvested from a myriad of local water channels and laid out in the sun to dry out , which can take anywhere from four days to two weeks in the rainy season . Once dry , they are then processed into the rope required to weave products together . In addition to creating beautiful woven handicrafts , Idachaba wanted to offer local communities skills and potential business ideas . Along with the MitiMeth team , she has branched out into eight communities , mainly in the Niger Delta , training and educating residents on how to take this watery menace and transform it into rope for weaving products . `` We help them to see the invasive weed through a different lens in terms of this could actually become a source of livelihood , '' she says . `` We go in and train them on how to harvest the material from the waterways , we tell them how they are supposed to dry it and then we teach them how to weave the water hyacinth . We also demonstrate the type of products that they could make . `` After we assist them with basic training , the rest is left up to their own creativity and we see them use the skills they have acquired to turn them into products that we 've never even mentioned . '' So far , Idachaba has been marketing her products online to a largely Nigerian customer base while also selling through third party retail outlets in Lagos . But the businesswoman wants to take her startup further in 2015 . `` We want to see ourselves as the number one maker of eco-friendly handicrafts -- that are telling this very unique story about how we have transformed Nigeria 's problem of water hyacinth into a beneficial solution . '' She adds : `` And to build on that ( to ) become one of the major non-oil sector exporters of products from Nigeria . ''
Achenyo Idachaba returned to Ghana in 2009 hoping to start a business . Always interested in the environment , she found an abundance of water hyacinth . It is a fresh water weed known for clogging waterways , lowering fish populations . She decided to take the environmental pest and turn it into beautiful handcrafts .