Uche Cecil Izuora
After the selection by a local and international jury of the 100 winners of the Startupper of the Year Challenge, in the 32 participating countries, the local winners of this special edition organized on the occasion of the Company’s centenary were honored during an official prize-giving ceremony that took place on Tuesday, October 22, 2024, in Lagos.
The three local winners of the Startupper of the Year Challenge in Nigeria are Temitope YAKUBU in the Innov’Up category for best entrepreneur with INTERKOOL BY FARMCI: FarmCI’s InterKool Storage Pod is a portable, solar-powered solution for preserving and transporting farm produce, extending shelf life and reducing disease risk for small-scale farmers and retailers.
The other winner Jacob ABIODUN in the Cycle’Up category was chosen for best circular economy project with COCONOTO: Transforming the coconut value chain for a greener, more sustainable future.
Also, Emmanuel ABAH in the Power’Up category is named for best sustainable and affordable project with WASTE2LIGHT LTD: Waste2light Wind and Hydro Turbine is a pioneering initiative to produce electricity from wind and hydro sources, by converting plastic waste into 3D printed wind and hydro components. Waste2light is championing to power Nigeria with clean electricity.
In order to help them develop their projects, these young entrepreneurs will receive N8M grant, each. They will also be given personalized support to develop their projects, along with local visibility, to boost awareness of their plans.
In Nigeria, 5906 applications were submitted, of which 1540 successfully completed the application process. From the 1540, the best 100 projects were selected; 14 finalists pitched their projects to a local panel of experts, out of which the three top winners emerged.