High hopes for Entrepreneurship Awards
From left to right in Morocco for the grand finale of the African Entrepreneurship Awards are Gunter Werner Rust, who is representing his partner Toivo Thomas from Agri-Cycle, Sylvanie Beukes, mentor and coach, and Llewellyn Dunaiski, owner of Quench Namibia.
Sylvanie Beukes, one of the mentors and a judge for the Awards said that the two Namibian contestants are doing great and that they had just finished a pitch presentation and prepared a financial budget. They will be meeting with other coaches for further preparation for a mocker jury to prepare them for a presentation with the Presidential jury, which will include, Othman Benjolloun, Chairman, BMCE Bank of Africa.
“We are currently in Morocco for the final boot camp and award ceremony, and I have a feeling in my gut that Namibia will win this Award,” said Beukes.
Toivo Thomas is the co-owner and founder of Agri-Cycle and he is currently a final year pre-medicine student at Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina. He was born and raised in an orphanage where he developed an interest in biology.
Agri-Cycle intends to recycle nutrient rich waste by converting it into useful products for various application through the use of the Black Soldier Fly (BSL). The BSL larvae can be used as a safe and sustainable protein meal for animal feed, high quality bio-degradable oil for bio-diesel production and processable chitin for pharmaceutical application. Thomas has realised that in Namibia and in many parts of Africa, livestock and fish farming suffers from the increasing cost of feed, especially protein ingredients.
Llwellyn Dunaiski and his company Quench Namibia exclusively operate 10 mobile “112GO” solar powered Quench (Q) Station vendors at 10 major intersections across Windhoek. Each Q station will retail Oasis pure spring mineral water to Namibians on the go, whether drivers, passengers, cyclist, athletes, gym goers, or pedestrians at a competitive market price.
This initiative aims to address the issue of overwhelming consumption of scientifically proven unhealthy popular soft drinks by using the in your face media interaction to promote a healthier lifestyle, safer road use and simultaneously contributing to a number of worthy causes.
The winner of the African Entrepreneurship Awards will be announced on 12 October. Soraya Sebti, representative of the Awards said that the objectives of the Awards is to help Namibians to start businesses that will create jobs, improve lives and inspire others in Namibia and across Africa.
