For the second successive year, Nigeria has won the World Bank’s “Ideas for Action” initiative, a youth competition on financing for development.
It is a programme which is yearly organized by the World Bank Group, in collaboration with the Zicklin Centre for Business Ethics Research.
The Bank’s Senior Vice President, Mr. Mahmoud Mohieldin, announced the results of the 2017 initiative during its annual meetings and the International Monetary Fund.
Nigeria’s winning proposal, “Kitovu”, came tops from among 743 proposals from 118 countries, while Uganda’s proposal of “Gifted Hands” and India’s proposal of “Agratam” were adjudged first and second runner-ups in this year’s competition.
The winners were selected through a vigorous three-stage selection process, evaluating the creativity, significance, feasibility and clarity of the proposals.
Nigeria is blessed with talented individuals, Nigeria’s winning proposal Kitovu is an innovative platform and system that matches fertilizer type and quantity, improved quality seeds and other inputs to the right soil.
The proposal envisions a web and mobile-based decentralized fertilizer and seedling warehousing system that matches the right inputs to different farm locations owned by small-holder farmers in distant locations to lower the cost of cultivation while ensuring increased yields.
Mr. Nwachinemere Emeka-Obewe, who initiated the winning proposal, explained that the platform sought to create market access for smallholder farmers in distant locations by using a mix of web, mobile and SMS platforms to link farmers to processors.
The platforms would also link producers with buyers, transporters and other ecosystem stakeholders, to tackle post-harvest losses and enable producers traceability while increasing the income of farmers.
Congratulations to Nwachinemere Emeka Obewe, keep making Nigeria proud.