Flour Mills of Nigeria (FMN) has successfully concluded the 4th season of its Prize for Innovation (PFI), an initiative designed to identify, support, and scale pioneering solutions addressing critical challenges within Nigeria’s food production sector.
The prestigious awards ceremony, held in Lagos, convened industry leaders, investors, and ambitious agripreneurs to celebrate the transformative innovations poised to reshape Nigeria’s agricultural landscape.
The grand finale showcased the ingenuity of six exceptional finalists who vied for a substantial N10 million prize money and comprehensive business support packages. Following a rigorous selection process that commenced with over 2000 applications, three outstanding winners emerged, each demonstrating groundbreaking solutions to pressing issues within Nigeria’s livestock sector.
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Boye Olusanya, GMD/CEO of FMN, emphasised the Group’s strategic focus on sustainable localisation for food self-sufficiency. “Sustainability localisation is a key strategic imperative for the Group when it comes to food self-sufficiency attainment agenda,” said Olusanya.
“Through the FMN Prize for Innovation, we are progressively investing in businesses with sustainability potentials and are actively solving peculiar Nigerian challenges; this way, sustainability is being localised.”
The top three winners represented a diverse spectrum of agricultural innovation. Securing the first prize of N5 million was Levitate Aquaria and Breeder Farms, recognised for their groundbreaking work in producing organic livestock drugs derived from 25 different African-grown roots, including ginger, turmeric, and dongoyaro. Their solution offers farmers natural and cost-effective treatment alternatives.
Vet Konect claimed the second prize of N3 million for their innovative digital animal health platform. This technology expands veterinary access for livestock farmers and pet owners across Africa, leveraging digital tools for improved animal care.
The third prize of N2 million was awarded to Bionet Innovations for their dual-pronged innovation: a system that converts food waste and livestock droppings into high-protein animal nutrition, and Livetag, an AI-powered smart health monitoring device for livestock, revolutionising real-time disease detection and animal care.
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Sadiq Usman, Director of Strategy and stakeholder relations at FMN, highlighted the program’s impact. “The FMN Prize for Innovation represents our commitment to transforming Nigeria’s agricultural landscape,” said Usman.
“This year, we’ve seen extraordinary innovations that go beyond business solutions that in-depthly addressed critical challenges facing the nation’s attainment of food security, productivity, and economic resilience. Our entrepreneurs are not just adding value within their industry of practice; they are building the future of Nigerian agriculture.”
Looking ahead, applications for the 5th Season of the FMN Prize for Innovation are expected to open in the coming months, with agricultural entrepreneurs encouraged to prepare their innovative proposals.
