Olarewaju Fadodun, a Microbiology student of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State will next week in Toronto Canada compete in the 2017 Global Student Entrepreneurs Awards.
Falodun who runs Temophadis International grossed $9000.00 in revenue last year. He produces and packages food items including bean flour for Moin-moin, gbegiri soup and bean cake (akara).
Speaking at the Award ceremony, held at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta, yesterday, Falodun who also carted away a prize gift of Five Hundred thousand Naira, said he was growing his business by “leveraging on my knowledge in Food Science, Food Microbiology, Quality Control and Graphics Design, I am skilled in Food product formulation, Food Bio-preservation, Food Processing Equipment Design and Cleanability and Products Branding”, adding that he had also “worked as sales person of frozen foods merchandize and as a manager of a start-up business enterprise in the time past.”
Julián Ríos Cantú of Higia Technologies was named the “Global Student Entrepreneur of the Year 2017.” Julian, a student from Monterrey Institute of Technology in Mexico, is still in his teens, started her business after watching his mother battle two instances of breast cancer. Julian’s company, Higia Technologies is a Mexican biosensor company dedicated to boosting women’s quality of life through professional self-exploratory methods that increase early detection of breast cancer.
Three students made it to the final of the Nigerian version of the annual Global Student Entrepreneurship Awards. The others are Aliyu Bello Aliyu, a Pharmacy student of Ahmadu Bello University Zaria who runs a campus-based real estate business and Emmanuel Tishion who studies Business Administration at National Open University of Nigeria who runs to an industrially processed extracts of hibiscus Sabdariffa (ZOBO) with a blend of natural fruit.
25 other student entrepreneurs exhibited their products at the Nigerian Chapter of the Entrepreneurship Organisation sponsored event. The young entrepreneurs were mentored on the critical success factors by a panel of established businessmen and women on strategies to grow their businesses.
EO is the world’s only peer-to-peer global network exclusively for entrepreneurs. Founded in 1987, EO enables business owners to learn from each other, leading to greater business success and an enriched personal life. The organization has more than 160 chapters in 50 countries including Nigeria.
While congratulating the award winners, Mr. Ayodele Aderinwale, the Chair, GSEA of the Lagos Chapter of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) Nigeria said the three undergraduates have proven that the pervasive poverty in the country could only be cured by “entrepreneurial citizenship”.
He contended that the students have demonstrably exhibited talents, doggedness and ability to survive the suffocating campus life to earn for themselves a living while in battling to earn their degrees. He enjoined other students to emulate these young entrepreneurs who refused to bow to societal expectations of seeking White Collar jobs that do not exists anymore.
More than fifty of the world’s most exceptional student entrepreneurs will be converging upon Toronto from 50+ different countries. EO will host two and a half days of learning, mentorship and competition, with innovative new businesses from the world’s next generation of entrepreneurs.
