The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), in partnership with Microvis Microfinance Bank and Baobab Microfinance Bank, awarded a total of N5m to three outstanding young Nigerian innovators at the SMEDAN Talent Hunt Programme.
The competition, which focused on groundbreaking solutions to reduce post-harvest losses in Nigeria’s agricultural sector, saw brilliant young minds from across the country pitch their inventive ideas to a panel of industry experts and stakeholders.
Key stakeholders present at the event included representatives from the Federal Institute for Industrial Research, Oshodi (FIIRO) and the National Agency for Science Engineering and Infrastructure (NASENI), who commended the young participants for their ingenuity and reaffirmed their agencies’ commitment to supporting homegrown innovations.
The Director General of SMEDAN, Mr Charles Odii in his remarks, highlighted the Agency’s dedication to creating platforms that harness the creative energies of Nigerian youth.
“Nigeria’s future lies in the hands of our innovative youth. With the right support, their ideas can solve national problems and create jobs,” he said.
He further reiterated the commitment of the agency to supporting the mandate of President Bola Tinubu in providing food security for Nigerians through the initiative strategy being implemented by SMEDAN.
The event follows closely on the heels of a similar SMEDAN initiative held last week in Lagos, which targeted the creative industry—specifically Disc Jockeys.
The Agency had in previous years implemented the SMEDAN Talent Hunt focused on Fashion, Poetry, Film production, tech solutions, ICT etc.
