… CONDUCTS TRAINING ON FOOD TRANSPORTATION, LOGISTICS
By Dr. Scholastica Ngunengen Banka
The Centre for Food Technology and Research (CEFTER) of the Benue State University (BSU), Makurdi, has issued a grant worth NGN600,000 to 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, 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 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 Centre Leader disclosed that the first 10 beneficiaries were selected through the ‘Agro Hack Challenge’ which was organised in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), through BAI Hub and First City Monument Bank (FCMB). The challenge pulled over 1,000 applications from all over Nigeria with solutions that centred on controlling food loss, food processing, fabrication of equipment and promotion of globally recognised agricultural processes.
The other two startup innovators were the results of a strict competition judged by a Startup Committee that comprised experts in entrepreneurship and innovation.
The selected startups which will receive both technical and financial support will undergo a three-month incubation (boot camp) during which they will interact with experts in different fields for technical support and undergo training on market research, product development, testing and validation, business model canvas, business competency, financial modelling, 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), 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.
The CEFTER Centre Leader 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 efforts to achieve and fulfil its mandate of controlling post-harvest losses.
The workshop was attended by many dignitaries and various stakeholders in the transport sector within Benue State and across the country.
