Traders of Africa (TOA), a startup that is unlocking regional trade in Africa has captured first prize at the national finals of the Entrepreneurship World Cup competition held recently in Nigeria.
Traders of Africa is a pan-African online marketplace for products grown, produced or manufactured in Africa Only.
A B2B platform, TOA is a point of convergence for qualitative trade within Africa and are working to address two key issues identified in connecting buyers and sellers, trust and payment terms.
Uju Uzo-Ojinnaka, the CEO & Founder of Traders of Africa, captured the first prize and advanced to the next round of the global competition against national winners from 184 countries.
In preparation for the EWC Global Finals, Uju Uzo-Ojinnaka will participate in an acceleration program which features virtual training and one-to-one mentoring with international mentors to prepare for the EWC Global Final, which will be held in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) on November 12-14, 2019.
Traders of Africa emerged victorious from a pool of 20,000 contestants who applied – each receiving access to free virtual training services to help them take their venture to the next level.
African startups transforming trade and energy infrastructure are creating rapid innovation for the continent.
Congratulations to TOA #EWCNigeria winner! https://t.co/Uz98NAvcXv pic.twitter.com/dGZ42IsbxM
— GEN (@unleashingideas) August 27, 2019
Other finalists at EWC Nigeria included:
1.) Fatara Farms – Dedicated to helping female smallholder farmers use cheaper and easier renewable energy (solar) to irrigate their farms through their local cooperatives, Fatara Farms ensures that every woman or girl in Nigeria’s northeast gets access to an equitable source of irrigation and all-year-round farming.
2.) Powerstove Energy – A clean energy advocate company designing and manufacturing Powerstove, a low-cost, clean cookstove that is 100% smokeless, uses 70% less biomass, and is 5x faster than traditional stoves while also generating electricity for the user’s household. The company also produces biomass pellets significantly cheaper and more efficient than firewood and charcoal.
The three winning startups received access to the GSVLabs Passport worth US$500,000 in services. Traders of Africa will compete in the EWC global final at the Misk Global Forum annual gathering in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in November.
The jury for the competition was composed of the following regional business leaders:
1.) Ife Adebayo, Special Assistant to VP, Innovation & Entrepreneurship
2.) Yohanna Chikezie, Founder/Director, The Assembly
3.) Fareed Arogundade, Founder, Workstation International
4.) Collins Onuegbu, Director, Lagos Angel Network
5.) Ibrahim Buwanhot, Lead Consultant, Interkon Solutions Limited
The Entrepreneurship World Cup, organized by the Misk Global Forum and the Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN), with the Enterprise Development Centre of the Pan Atlantic University supporting the Nigerian leg, is the world’s leading global competition dedicated to entrepreneurs.
100,000 entrants from 186 countries are competing for life-changing prizes as well as business and investment opportunities. The EWC is currently holding a number of National Finals, building towards its Global Final in Riyadh in November.
Shaima Hamidaddin, MGF’s Executive Manager, commented, “in keeping with MGF’s ethos of internationalism, we’re delighted to have worked with our partners to bring the Entrepreneurship World Cup to Nigeria.
“This was the latest in a series of national finals taking place in as many as 100 countries, showing that wherever young people live and whatever challenges they face, they can create the world-changing companies of tomorrow by harnessing the raw energy, optimism, mastery of technology and collaborative spirit of their generation.
“They are the greatest natural resource of any country and we stand ready to help unleash it.”
