• Windhoek Express

Awana Foods makes a difference

- 2022-10-17 13:06:00

With 101 submissions received, it was Sara Ekondo of Awana Foods that wowed the judges with her business plan to make her the winner of the Capricorn Food Waste Challenge.
An emotional Ekondo said that her vision is for an Africa that is food secure. “As an entrepreneur, acknowledgements in the form of prizes like these go way beyond the winning itself; they are a validation of a vision I carry with me daily.”
At Awana they preserve perishable local and indigenous foods, extending their shelf life and enhancing food security and nutrition in the country. According to Ekondo, about 30% of horticulture produce goes to waste before reaching the market, this while most of the population faces hunger and malnutrition.
She urged her fellow innovators to continue pursuing their dreams. “According to the Generation Africa report, Africa’s food import bill stands at U$35 billion and is projected to reach U$110 billion by 2025. This is a market awaiting capture And it should be captured by us!”
Together with the cash prize, Capricorn also gifted Ekondo a year's membership at the Recycle Namibia Forum valued at about N$12 000.
According to Rikus Grobler, Innovation Manager at the Capricorn Group, they launched this initiative to seek new possibilities to address the basic need of food security for the most vulnerable persons in Namibia.
Although the challenge excluded employees of the Capricorn Group of winning the cash prize, it did not deter them from entering their ideas. Pieter Badenhorst’s idea came in 10th overall and he was awarded a cash prize of N$10 000.