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From Rose Ejembi and Scholastica Onyeka, Makurdi
Swiss-based foundation Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), in partnership with Aiivon Innovation Hub, Makurdi, has launched an agribusiness innovative challenge to support women and youths to develop their businesses.
Speaking at that launch in Makurdi on Monday, Chief Executive Officer, Aiivon Innovation Hub, Mr Attah Igoche said one of the aims is to develop businesses leveraging technology, provide technical assistance training to women and youth with start-up businesses to strengthen their capacity and improve access to finance to improve their supply chain efficiency.
According to him, the agribusiness innovative challenge competition will culminate in an award day where finalists battle for N5 million in zero-equity prize money while there will be only one first prize winner with other finalists getting to pitch to a room full of international investors.
He called on women and youth-led agri-tech start-ups with supply chain targeted innovations to apply for the first edition of the challenge saying “anyone with a business within the agricultural value chain that aids nutrition can apply.”
Mr Igoche explained that Aiivon Innovation Hub is an enterprise network institution founded to aid youths and build capacity among West African youths using Information Communication Technology, ICT, as a cover for innovation and social development.
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He said through the hub the organization has been able to support over 3000 youths across the nation with different capacity-building projects around ICT, access to funding through a partnership network to close unemployment gaps.
While noting that agriculture is the mainstay of Benue State, Igoche disclosed that his organization will work with the Benue State Government and the State University to identify youths with potential and help them to realise their dreams.
He expressed the hope that their coming to Benue will offer great opportunities to Benue people, especially women.
Also speaking, the Programmes and Training Manager, Olayemi Akungbe said the organization, in the first phase, is targeting 30 start-up businesses out of which 15 will be selected for the challenge.
Mr Akungbe who noted that GAIN was launched by the United Nations in 2002 to tackle the human suffering caused by malnutrition, said working with governments, businesses and civil societies, the foundation, in trying to transform food systems to deliver more nutritious food to all people, especially the vulnerable, has partnered with Aiivon to implement the challenge to support the holistic development of Nigeria’s agricultural sector.
He urged the youths and women, especially between the ages of 18 and 35 who are eligible to apply for the competition saying agricultural innovation provides an opportunity to solve challenges in different value chains, eliminate waste, increase productivity, create different jobs and reduce poverty.
