A Nigerian start-up, Salubata Technologies, is among the top four winners of Kigali Startup Festival 2022 at the Commonwealth Youth Forum (CYF) in Kigali, the Rwandan capital.
The Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Salubata, Yewande Adebowale, whose company transforms plastic wastes into customised shoes, received a prize of $10,000 at the closing ceremony of the forum.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Youth Forum is one of the four that took place ahead of the main Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting (CHOGM).
According to the organisers, no fewer than 400 entries were received for the startup award, which is in four categories: green innovation, inter-trade, agricultural innovation and digital geeks.
Adebowale’s entry was selected in the Green Innovation Guru Award category.
In an interview yesterday with NAN, the Salubata COO said her products impacted on the Nigerian economy.
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“We wanted to do something that impacts everyday part of our lives. We’ve always seen plastic wastes around us and have always looked for ways to help the environment.
“We believe these customisable shoes from Salubata could help stamp out plastic wastes in its entirety.
“We believe we are making a very significant change, particularly from an environmental viewpoint, because the volume of plastic wastes in our environments keeps growing every year,” she said.
Also, the Nigerian High Commissioner to Rwanda, Aishatu Musa, congratulated the Nigerian youth delegation to CHOGM 2022 for representing the country well.
The high commissioner, who hosted the delegates at the Chancery in Kigali, urged them to continue to portray Nigeria as a country of innovators and entrepreneurs.
“It is great to see young people from Nigeria doing great things. I must commend your efforts and contributions in trying to address some of the challenges facing the commonwealth countries.
“Nigeria is blessed with lots of talents and the youth are the country’s pride. So, I urge you to be passionate about your dreams and aspirations and continue to push them to make the world a better place,” Musa said.
Leader of the delegation and aide to the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Oluwakemi Areola, thanked the high commissioner for the warm reception for the delegates.
