MTN Nigeria Unveils PachiPanda Challenge for Young Environmental Innovators

MTN Nigeria in partnership with the WorldWide Fund for Nature through its local partner the Nigerian Conservation Foundation, on Monday, unveiled the Nigeria PachiPanda Challenge 2025, aimed at empowering young people to promote environmental sustainability.

The challenge is designed to give young people the opportunity to develop innovative, long-term solutions and ideas to pressing environmental challenges and promote sustainability in Nigeria.

The initiative is part of the Africa PachiPanda Challenge, designed to stimulate and champion innovative solutions that address urgent environmental challenges across the continent.

The Founder and Managing Consultant Expert at ResourcePRO Ltd., Chinwe Udo-Davis, said the initiative was aimed at empowering young people to develop solutions to environmental challenges.

Udo-Davis added that the initiative would empower African youth and youth-led SMEs to develop innovative, sustainable solutions for environmental challenges.

Udo-Davis urged young entrepreneurs to clearly define the value they offer and differentiate their products or services to remain competitive and attractive.

She said the marketplace functions on an exchange of value, and customers pay only when a product delivers clear benefits that address specific problems or pain points.

“The only reason anyone will give you money is because you are giving them value.

“If your solution does not put real value into the hands of your customer, they will not pay for it. Whether you are building a commercial or social enterprise,” she said.

She noted that entrepreneurs must articulate the core benefits of their products, whether through superior quality, reliability, pricing, faster delivery, or exceptional customer service.

“Even when your product is more expensive, customers will pay a premium if the value is higher,’’ she added.

She said her organisation receives frequent questions about competitors, but she explained that differentiation in model and approach allows businesses to stand out even when operating in similar sectors.

The expert also stressed the importance of storytelling and effective communication, describing it as a critical skill for founders, especially when pitching to investors or participating in accelerator programmes.

She said many entrepreneurs assume their ideas would speak for themselves, but visibility and narrative-building are essential for attracting support.

“No matter how brilliant your idea is, no one will know if you cannot communicate it. I struggled with storytelling at the beginning, but I had to learn,’’ she said.

She recalled her experience at a pan-African pitch event in Nairobi, where overcoming her fear of public speaking contributed to her team winning a 150,000-dollar grant — a milestone she described as transformative for her business.

The facilitator said communication skills remain essential during fundraising rounds, product promotion and investor engagement, and urged entrepreneurs to seek training platforms such as Toastmasters to improve.

She encouraged innovators, particularly those working in climate and SDG-related sectors, to communicate the purpose, social impact and unique strengths of their solutions.

“Your ability to clearly articulate your value, uniqueness and impact is just as important as the solution you are building,” she said.

Speaking during the interactive master class session, Mr Harold Okonoboh, the President Recyclers Association of Nigeria (RAN), urged participants to explore opportunities in the recycling sector.

Okonoboh advised participants to begin as middlemen to enable them to understand the value chain before making major investments.

He said the middleman entry point provided a clear understanding of the recycling ecosystem, especially across major waste streams such as plastics, metals, paper and electronic waste.

“The approach allows new entrants to participate actively without the burden of heavy capital expenditure. It also helps them identify what recyclers require and how to source materials efficiently within their communities,’’ he said.

He encouraged the participants to gain hands-on experience by working with established recycling companies, adding that learning directly from industry operators would help young innovators avoid costly mistakes.

The expert who described Nigeria’s recycling ecosystem as fragmented said the gaps within the system offered room for innovation, particularly in the adoption of digital technology for waste collection and in the local fabrication of recycling machinery.

According to him, local artisans possess the technical abilities needed to produce some recycling components, though improvements are required in design and precision to meet industrial standards.

He also emphasised the role of RAN in guiding private-sector operators and engaging regulators on policies that affect the circular economy.

“Staying connected with regulatory bodies is important for anyone entering the sector to avoid investments in areas that may be restricted in the future. Ignorance of the law is not an excuse,’’ he said.

He assured participants of continued support and expressed willingness to provide further guidance to those interested in pursuing opportunities within the recycling value chain.

 

 

(NAN)