GAIN, NCIC award $16,000 to Nigerian innovators to promote safe, nutritious foods

The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) and the Nigeria Climate Innovation Centre (NCIC) have granted $16,000 to four Nigerian innovators in a bid to encourage the consumption of safe and nutritious foods in Nigeria.

Mr. Michael Ojo, the Country Director of GAIN, explained that the initiative aims to transform the country’s food systems, marking the successful conclusion of the Agribusiness Innovation Challenge.

This challenge, conducted under the Business Support workstream of the Strengthening Nutrition in Priority Staples (SNIPS) project, was designed to enhance the production, commercialization, and consumption of safe and nutritious foods in Nigeria.

The award

• Ojo highlighted the challenges faced by the agriculture sector, representing over a quarter of Nigeria’s GDP, including infrastructure gaps and post-harvest losses.
• The Agribusiness Innovation Challenge served as a call to youth-led agri-tech start-ups to harness creativity in developing digital and hardware supply chain innovations.
• The winners of the challenge will receive ongoing support from GAIN to implement their solutions in Kaduna, Nasarawa, Benue, and Oyo states, impacting local communities.
• The four innovative solutions include an automatic and mobile “Cassava Peeling and Washing Machine,” a dual-purpose display chiller and food preservation solution, a platform bridging the gap between farmers and consumers, and a web3 commodity marketplace providing market access for traders dealing in nutritious commodities.

GAIN, a Swiss-based foundation launched at the United Nations in 2002, focuses on addressing human suffering caused by malnutrition.

The Nigeria Climate Innovation Centre (NCIC), supported by the World Bank and the Federal Government, works to develop and deploy solutions to climate change challenges in Nigeria by providing venture development, capacity building, market access, and funding to viable green businesses.