… CONDUCTS TRAINING ON FOOD TRANSPORTATION, LOGISTICS
Written by Dr. Scholastica Ngunengen Banka
Edited by Nathanael Odaudu
The Centre for Food Technology and Research (CEFTER) of the Benue State University (BSU), Makurdi has issued a grant worth N600,000 each to a selected twelve 12 startup innovators, each, as part of its Startup Grant Scheme.
The awards were presented to beneficiaries at the University’s Senate Chamber, in a recent event, by the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Professor. Tor Joe Iorapuu, who was assisted by the Benue Agribusiness Innovation Hub (BAI-Hub) representative, Dr. Shedrach Akpem, as well as the CEFTER Centre Leader, Dr. Barnabas Achakpa Ikyo.
Addressing the awardees while he called each by name, the Vice-Chancellor commended them for their hard work and expressed hope that each of them would put to good use the grant they were receiving to start launch their businesses. He added that this was part of the BSU vision, which is to impact the community and, more importantly, take the classroom experience out to the public domain.
The Director of the Centre Leader disclosed that the first ten 10 beneficiaries were selected through the ‘Agro Hack Challenge’ which was done organised in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), (through the Benue Agribusiness Innovation Hub – BAI Hub) and the First City Monument Bank (FCMB). The Challenge challenge pulled over one thousand1,000 applications from all over Nigeria with solutions that were centered centred on controlling food loss, food processing, fabrication of equipment and promotion of globally recognized recognised agricultural processes.
The other two Startup startup innovators were the results of a strict competition judged by a Startup Committee that was made up of experts in entrepreneurship and innovation.
The selected startups which will receive both technical and financial support will undergo a three- months incubation (booth camp) during which they will interact with experts in different fields for technical support and undergo some training on market research, product development, testing and validation, business model canvas, business competency, financial modelingmodelling, legalities, team and leadership development as well as innovator business branding.
The awardees are: Muinat Muyideen of NAFARM Ltd., Fidelia Agera of FIDNEN Ltd.,; Bernard Ngutor Agye of BEN-GUT Resources,; Akwonya Unoogwu of Farm Trade, Sharon Otowo of Mixed Culture, and Benedicta Kave of House of Rity.
Other awardees are; Msughter George Azor of Msen Tech., Solomon Terhide Kpamo of Newways Agro, Bridget Shidoon Idyu of BIDVANS Foods, Veronica Sefa of Sefawase Enterprises as well as ECOTUTU.
In a similar event, the Centre in collaboration with T&J Educational Consult, United Kingdom, and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), organized organised a five-day training workshop on Food Transportation and Logistics. The essence of the workshop was to train transport-line owners, operators and other relevant stakeholders in the food value chain on the globally acceptable methods of safely transporting food items from the farm gates to the final consumers.
Dr. Ikyo atThe CEFTER Centre Leader this event encouraged participants to take advantage of the experience as a means of enhancing professionalism in the transport business as it relates to food transportation. He added that the training was also part of the Centre’s activities efforts to help in achieving achieve and fulfilling its mandate onf controlling post-harvest controllosses.
The workshop was attended by dignitaries, participants and all various stakeholders in the transport sector within Benue State and across the country.
CEFTER-BSU OFFERS STARTUP GRANTS TO 12 ENTREPRENUERSENTREPRENEURS
CEFTER-BSU OFFERS STARTUP GRANTS TO 12 ENTREPRENUERSENTREPRENEURS
