Entrepreneurship: Glisten Int. Academy wins FCT-Brunel innovation challenge
By Philip Yatai
Glisten International Academy, Abuja, has emerged the winner of the FCT-Brunel Innovation Challenge, organised to promote entrepreneurship and innovation among secondary school students.
The challenge, titled “Building a Better Abuja,” was organised to encourage young Nigerians to explore their local environment, identify needs, and develop solutions using entrepreneurial skills.
The programme was a collaboration between Brunel University Business School, London, and the FCT Administration to foster entrepreneurship, sustainability, and innovation among Nigerian students.
Announcing the final results, via zoom, Dr Nan Jiang, Lead, Entrepreneurship Education Programme, Brunel University, explained that the Glisten International Academy won the challenge with a low-cost water purification solution initiative.
Their idea involved the use of chemical-free purifiers made from moringa oleifera, activated carbon, fine sand, and gravel, designed to provide affordable clean water to residents.
Jiang added that Government Secondary School (GSS) Gwagwalada came second with its plastic waste management and recycling innovation.
The concept involved collecting plastic waste and transforming them into useful products such as bags, flower vases, skipping ropes, baskets, torchlights, pencil and brush holders, and room decorations
The initiative aimed to provide sustainable income for the students while addressing plastic waste in local communities.
She also declared that the third position goes to GSS Kwali, for introducing a nutrition-rich poultry feed project aimed at improving poultry production in communities.
The feed is made from locally sourced ingredients like maize, papaya leaves, moringa, grain bran, soya beans, groundnut, and animal bone.
Jiang explained that the students were rated based on the statement of the problem, solution, target market business model, social and environmental impact, and alignment with SDGs.
Other criteria, she said, included team entrepreneurial experiences and skills among others.
The coordinator of the competition in FCT, Mr Musa Zuru, said that 26 schools sent entries for the competition, out of which five schools were selected.
Zuru added that the winner, the first and second runner up were selected from the five schools that scaled through the final.
He said that the goal of the challenge was to prepare future entrepreneurs who would use their creative thinking to solve societal problems.
Also, Mr Victor Oriafor, Principal, GSS Gwagwalada, said that the FCT Administration was determined to nurture the entrepreneurship mindset of students.
“What we want to see is a society where our young ones will become employers of labour rather than waiting for white collar jobs,” he said.
Speaking on behalf of the winning school, Fatima Abubakar of Glisten International Academy, who could not hide her excitement, described the feat as a “new journey” for the team.
She said that the FCT entrepreneurship development programme has given students a chance to bring out their creativity and scientific minds.
“The programme has given students a platform to express themselves and create something beneficial to the world.
“It has given room for students to express their creative thinking – what they want to add to the world and what they want to innovate for the world,” she said.
Similarly, Alade Joshua of GSS Gwagwalada, who spoke on behalf of the team, said that the school emerged the first runner up due to the commitment of the team.
Joshua, who commended the FCT for the opportunity to test their innovation and creativity skills, said that the school would do better in the next competition. (NAN)
Edited by Abiemwense Moru
