Nile University Students Represent Nigeria in Japan’s Prestigious Social Innovation Hub Programme
businessday.ng – October 22, 2024 – Two student entrepreneurs from Nile University of Nigeria, Abdul-Samad Lawal (400L Mechatronics Engineering) and David Oseloka Okoh (400L Business Administration), recently returned from Japan, where they participated in the prestigious Social Innovator Hub (SIH) Programme, a seven-week co-creation programme hosted by Tohoku University. Selected as two out of three students representing Nigeria, these Nile University students, after undergoing startup incubation at the institution’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation Hub, took their respective innovative startups to an international stage, sponsored by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Abdul-Samad Lawal’s project, “Synthetic Waste-to-Fibre” is a startup idea that aims to transform synthetic waste like plastic bottles, discarded textiles, and industrial polymers into reusable fibres for various applications. Meanwhile, David Oselokah Okoh’s “Green Char Solution” converts agricultural and organic waste into biochar, a sustainable soil amendment and clean energy source. Both projects were chosen for their innovative solutions to pressing domestic and social challenges.
The SIH Programme, which took place between August and September 2024, brought together talented students from Japan, Nigeria, Indonesia, Peru, and Mongolia. The goal? To collaborate on tackling social challenges through business innovation. Participants in this co-creation programme were equipped with the tools to refine their ideas, work collaboratively across cultures, and pitch their solutions to investors.