Food Connection Challenge 2018 for SMEs in Nigeria and Benin

The Food Connection Challenge 2018 is now open for SMEs in Nigeria and Benin. In 2018, BoP Innovation Center and Crosswise Works calls upon SMEs in Nigeria and Benin to submit their innovative ideas to reduce post – harvest losses. The Food Connection Challenge is organized with the support of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Agriculture. It is organized to solve post-harvest losses on company level through the development of innovative ideas.

Are you an SME in Nigeria or Benin, active in the agri & food sector and struggling with issues related to storing, processing, cleaning, grading, handling or transporting of (processed) agricultural products? Join the Food Connection Challenge!

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Benefits of Food Connection Challenge

You will benefit from workshops, training sessions, innovation jams and remote coaching to improve your ideas and turn them into a business plan that is ready to be implemented. The best plans will be pitched at a final event.

If you win you will receive matching funding from the Postharvest Network to realize your plans, up to a maximum of €20,000.

Food Connection Challenge Eligibility

The Food Connection Challenge is open to all kinds of applications. However, not all companies that apply will be admitted to the next steps of the challenge. The following set of criteria will be used to determine who will proceed.

Your enterprise is formally registered in Nigeria
Your enterprise is an ‘SME’: a company with less than 250 employees
Your enterprise exists for at least 2 years and has a minimum turnover of 5.000,00 euros per year
Your enterprise is producing food products and/or provides services to a food value chain in Nigeria
The food value chain your enterprise is participating in/offering services to provides food for the Nigerian market or its neighbouring countries
The enterprise has identified one person who will participate on behalf of the enterprise
The participant is able to travel to and be present in Ibadan and/or Lagos during the events of the Food Connection Challenge
The application provides enough concrete information to make a qualitative evaluation possible

Evaluation criteria

The post-harvest loss problem is clear and well defined
The first description of the idea is elaborate and convincing on how the idea impacts the broader value chain
The idea is innovative, sustainable, replicable and translatable into a business model
The participant has the right resources (team, skills, etc.) to implement the solution that will be developed during the challenge

Note: If the participant and the team connected to the participant include women and/or people below the age of 30, extra points can be gained.