By Sadiyat Dosunmu
The US government has announced 32 winners of their COVID-19 Food Security Challenge.
The winning small and medium enterprises will receive awards totaling $4 million in funding and technical assistance to implement their solutions to food security problems in Nigeria.
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In a statement issued by the U.S. mission in Nigeria, the competition was held in partnership with USAID’s Exploratory Programs and Innovation Competitions (EPIC) Team.
The disruption of agricultural productivity and limited access to markets has had a negative impact on livelihoods, especially among vulnerable households, women, and youth.
After receiving over 500 applications to the Challenge, USAID/Nigeria selected 19 youth-led companies (led by young people up to 29 years of age) and 13 mid-stage companies (with an existing customer base of at least 1,000 people) that are working across 33 states.
The winning companies will use USAID/Nigeria’s funding and technical assistance to rapidly expand their food production and food security activities to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 on Nigeria’s food value chain and improve the resilience of vulnerable households.
Editor- Oloyede Oworu
