Core vision: the Great Blue Wall, a 500-hectare farmland along the Abidjan-Lagos Corridor coastline, home to market gardening, eco lodges, ecotourism, & games to be enjoyed including chess where 5.000 at-risk youth & widows have decent jobs. @_favouritesmile@ChimdiIbeawuchi
In the heart of Goma, DRC @SogaChess is transforming waste plastic into custom made recycled @thegiftofchess chess sets. These simple chess sets will be used as a tool for hope, education and opportunity for the generation of displaced children across the DRC.
We are pleased to announce the receipt of 30 Made-in-Nigeria 🇳🇬 chess boards from @thegiftofchess, produced by @DatosJulius.
These chess boards will continue to serve as affordable educational tools that help promote critical thinking, creativity, strategic thinking, and problem-solving skills among young students across schools in Kwara State, Nigeria.
@thegiftofchess is on a mission to distribute 1 million chess boards worldwide by 2030, while creating jobs and supporting a healthier environment through the recycling of plastic waste into chess sets. The organization currently operates production facilities in Nairobi, Kenya, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
We are excited to be part of this impactful journey and grateful for the partnership.
Join us as we empower the next generation through chess! ♟️🌍🇳🇬
Breaking News. Manufacturing equipment has arrived in Goma, DRC needed to produce custom made @thegiftofchess chess sets from recycled waste plastics. Manufacturing will begin shortly.
A new era for chess as a top sport begins in Benin Republic 🇧🇯♟️
Following the April 12, 2026 presidential elections, President @WadagniRomuald ’s vision — “Sport for All and Everywhere” — finds its most powerful expression in #chess.
Why chess?
♟️ Playable anywhere — cities, villages, lake cities, classrooms, refugee camps, even under a tree.
♟️ Inclusive — children, teenagers, youth & elders, women & men, persons with disabilities.
♟️ Cross-generational — a 5 year old kid can play against a 70+, no physical strength required.
♟️ Professional — now used in public & private institutions to train CEOs, managers, interns in strategy & decision-making.
♟️ Foundational — the only sport that strengthens thinking and strategies across ALL other sports.
Shout out to @thegiftofchess ♻️♟️ — turning recycled plastic into opportunity, education, and hope.
But here’s the reality:
The 1,000 chess sets received and distributed are far from enough.
To truly unlock "Chess for All, Everywhere", we need a local recycling unit to transform plastic waste into thousands of chess sets — empowering our "CHESS Initiative (Climate Heroes Engaged in Environmental Protection, Education & Entrepreneurship for Social Sustainability)".
Why should The Gift of Chess scale with us?
1️⃣ Proven traction on the ground in Benin Republic.
2️⃣ The good news: Government alignment (our CHESS Initiative is included in the 2026 Annual Work Plan and Budget (AWPB) of Ministry of Sports, through the Office of Youth and Leisure.
3️⃣ Massive unmet demand across urban & rural communities.
4️⃣ Scalable climate impact through plastic waste recycling into chess sets through the efforts of our network of Climate Heroes Engaged in Environmental protection, Education and Entrepreneurship for Social Sustainability (CHESS).
5️⃣ Strong youth engagement & education pipeline.
6️⃣ Opportunity to build a flagship model for Africa & the world.
We are ready.
We are aligned.
We are building.
See the need. Take the lead. 🌍♟️
@GenBenin@FORAMinitiative@40nowproject@AmbAllBenin@Tunde_OD@USEmbassyBenin
As Ambassador of The Gift Of Chess in Benin Republic, I make this clear: Benin is ready—and urgently needs—a local manufacturing unit for recycled chess sets. ♟️♻️
With the approval of our "CHESS initiative" by the Ministry of Sports and UNICEF Benin in their 2026 AWPB, we are about to train and mobilize thousands of "Eco-supporters for a Greener, Inclusive and Peaceful Sports" across schools, universities, stadiums, and communities.
They will:
🌱 Educate for peace, fair-play & social cohesion.
♻️ Collect plastic waste at scale.
⚽ Activate during championships, leagues, AFCON & World Cup qualifiers.
But here is the real question:
What do we do with the tons of plastic waste to be collected everyday ?
The answer is simple and urgent:
Transform it locally into Gift Of Chess sets.
This is a game-changing opportunity to:
♟️ Introduce chess at scale in schools, universities, prisons & communities.
🎓 Strengthen education through critical thinking.
💼 Create green jobs and local value chains.
♻️ Turn waste into purpose.
But beyond strategy… this is personal.
My mission with @thegiftofchess demands more chess sets to travel across the country and reach thousands of out-of-school and street children—just to pass on what my teenage in the streets taught me:
💪 Resilience.
🎯 Focus.
🔥 Determination.
🧠 Self-awareness.
✨ Self-esteem & confidence.
🏆 A winner’s mindset.
Chess connecting the disconnected.
This is where sport meets purpose:
♻️ Environment protection.
🎓 Education.
💼 Job creation.
Benin Republic doesn’t just need chess sets. We need a movement that transforms lives.
Let’s not just play the game—let’s change it. ♟️🔥
@thegiftofchess@85Narcissus@USEmbassyBenin@BeninDiplomatie@EtriLabsCotonou@AmbAllBenin@TheBeninBlogger@GenBenin@FORAMinitiative@PNUDBenin@UNFCCC@OneYoungWorld
Grayson who is training on our recycled plastic @thegiftofchess chess sets manufactured in Kibera Kenya, is currently rated over 2100 @USChess and is the currently the NY State Elementary Chess Champion. He has his eyes set on a US National Championship this coming May.
US Chess Master @tyronedavisiii visits Kakuma Refugee Camp, located in northwestern Kenya, donating chess sets across schools and clubs.
Kakuma hosts over 300,000 residents from countries such as South Sudan, Somalia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Watch as we transform plastic waste into custom made @thegiftofchess recycled chess sets. These chess sets will reach schools, prisons, and refugee communities across Africa. Jobs + Education + Environment!
Placing children's health at the heart of the global agenda is one thing. We believe that it is also important to make children's voices heard on their health: SDG 3.
This is why we are stepping up efforts to replicate "Goals Beyond The Game" by @RakutenJP in Seme-Border.
🧑🤝🧑🌎How to place children’s health at the heart of the global agenda ?
As part of the #OneHealthSummit, the Paris Peace Forum is organizing this Monday, April 6 a high-level event entitled “Philanthropies for One Health, One Health for Children”.
👉Stay tuned
@oneplanetsummit
🎙️ Dans notre podcast, @LaurenceTubiana et Ferréol Delmas (@DelmasFer ) dressent le bilan des dix ans des Accords de Paris et se questionnent sur les voies qui permettraient de relancer l'action climatique. 🎧 À écouter ici https://t.co/XilL8TxnHR et sur toutes les plateformes.
Young Generation Hub, une initiative allemande amplifiée par la 100e édition de la Semaine Internationale Verte Berlin est en cours en Allemagne actuellement est désormais délocalisée au #Benin@AmbAllBenin@GenBenin@OLUSEGUNCHARLE8