Rinchi
TechInAfrica – The 2018 – 2019 Startupper of the Year by Total Challenge in Namibia has announced the winners. There were three winners selected by the local jury experts after demonstrating their ideas. The three winners are Tjatjara Kaveto, The Nest; Jona Irya, Nam-Oceanic Kelp Enterprise; and Sajeni Lebogang, Namib Bee. They received their awards at the Am Weinberg Conference Center last week.
According to Total Namibia, the winners will be given financial support worth up to N$300,000 for the first prize in order to develop their business project. Moreover, they also receive personalized support and mentoring from the Gordon Institute of Business School (GIBS) and communication campaigns to promote and publicize their project.
The first winner, Tjatjara Kaveto of the Nest, introduces the innovative waterless toilets. They are easy to install and hygienic, especially for areas that have no sewage system. Moreover, it’s 100% eco-friendly and produces no smell.
The second winner, Jone Irya of Nam-Oceanic Kelp Enterprise, takes advantage of the rich marine environment of Namibia. She collects coastal seaweed to make chicken food. Coastal seaweed in Namibia is often considered as waste while in fact, it contains rare nutrients that boost up chicken production.
Meanwhile, in the third place, Sajeni Lebogang of Namib Bee, recruits and trains individuals and communities to be bee-keepers. They are encouraged to implement a modern and highly productive bee-keeping system to keep high-quality products.
The 2018-2019 Startupper of the Year by Total Challenge is conducted in 55 different countries at the same time. Among those numbers, 33 of them are held in African countries. The event aims at empowering social and economic development by supporting young entrepreneurs to put their projects into reality.
