Total, a French multinational integrated oil and gas company that focuses on both the upstream and downstream sector of the economy, has empowered three entrepreneurs with a combined sum of N12 million to enable them to grow their business ideas.
The empowerment programme, which is couched in its ‘Startupper Challenge’, is part of the firm’s corporate social responsibility. It started two years ago and is aimed at supporting and transforming young start-ups with innovative ideas to ensure that such ideas come into reality, the firm said.
“The ‘Startupper Challenge’ is in line with our CSR that is focused on promoting local content and entrepreneurial drive of young business, which we believe in turn will have a ripple effect on our economy and the society at large”, Bunmi Popoola, executive general manager for the oil and gas firm, said.
The 2018/2019 edition of the firm’s Startupper Challenge kicked off around October 8th last year across 55 countries, with an online campaign followed by a moderator stage that saw 15 entrepreneurs proceed to the finals.
The 15 entrepreneurs went through different processes like a boot camp where they received industrial training to assist them to work on their thoughts. Thereafter, they faced a jury of 10 members which they pitched their business ideas to.
Three winners out of the 15 finalists were then selected after a painstaking selection by a 10-man panel of judges who selected the business ideas of the winners based on innovation, social impact and financial viability.
After the jury of local experts selected the winners of the 2018-2019 Startupper of the Year by Total Challenge in Nigeria, they were presented with their awards at an official ceremony held on February 13 in Lagos.
The first winner, Ogunbanjo Olumide, whose business idea focused on Argo data Network was rewarded with N6 million.
Argo data Network promotes organic farming via community-based beekeeping, providing farmers with free beehives. His company deploys natural techniques to keep the bees within the ecosystem.
The second entrepreneur, Obaoye Justus, who was rewarded with the sum of N3.6 million focuses on Cardio Automobiles Service Technology.
His Cardio automobile business is an on-demand automobile service technology which aggregates automobile maintenance demands through mobile devices and thereafter facilitates their fulfilment through select offline services performed by competent and vetted mechanics.
Ijir Aondosoo, who runs a business known as ‘My Waste My Energy’, finished third. This business converts rice husk waste to an energy source and provides a sustainable form of domestic energy, reduces environmental degradation and deaths associated with respiratory diseases. Nigeria records 93,000 deaths annually due to smoke from firewood. He got N2.4 million.
These young entrepreneurs received financial support of up to N12 million to develop their projects.
They will also receive personalised support and coaching from Passion Incubator and a communications campaign to publicise their projects.
The firm also, in order to promote gender equality by empowering the women, created the top female entrepreneurial category to reward especially the best female start-up that partook in the challenge.
Omotosho Oghenekevwe, with her business idea ‘ Isabiwork’, emerged the winner of the Top Female Entrepreneur award, which is a new addition to the 2018-2019 Challenge to support women in business.
‘Isabiwork’ is an app which helps customers easily locate the nearest artisan or service provider in their location, thereby bridging the digital divide between artisans and their potential customers.
The 2018-2019 Startupper of the Year by Total Challenge held simultaneously in 55 countries— 37 of which are in Africa, 11 in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East region, 4 in the Americas, and 3 in Europe — reaffirms Total’s commitment to social and economic development in host countries worldwide. By helping innovative young entrepreneurs to realise their projects, the Challenge strengthens the local social fabric.
The second Startupper of the Year by Total Challenge received nearly 50,000 entries, of which more than 15,000 were fully completed. In all, 825 finalists presented their projects to a jury of experts, with 165 winning prizes. The first prize winner in each country will see their project presented to the international grand juries that will pick the six grand winners from all 55 countries.
The first edition was done in 2015 and was run in about 34 different African countries that produced 102 people
This edition started around October 8th last year with entrepreneurs below 35 years of age who have business ideas that are not more than 2 years
The three winners will represent Nigeria in Paris.
MICHEAL ANI
