SMEs Battle For N17.5m At WASH Innovation Fair

Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the Water, Sanitation and Health sector are set to take home the sum of N3.5 million at the 2023 WASH Innovation Fair & Incubation Programme.

The programme, which is a collaboration between the Financial Centre for Sustainability, Lagos and the Nigeria Climate Innovation Center (NCIC), is sponsored by HIS and the FMDQ Group.

The programme aims to identify SMEs with innovative ideas in the WASH Sector.

At the end of the programme, which will run for four months, five winners will receive a cash prize of N3.5 million each.

According to organisers of the event, the process involves a call for entry for a Hackathon that will culminate in selecting the top five winners with the smartest and most practical ideas fit for implementation.

Overall, the event aims to contribute to the drive by the federal government to end open defecation by 2025 and to make clean water and sanitation readily available to all Nigerians in line with Goal 6 of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGFs). Other attractions during the 2023 event, which commenced March 3, 2023, includes a Roundtable Session, which will hold on April 27, 2023 and a four months incubation programme to assist the winners in implementing their winning ideas.

Also, the organisers would support the top five SMEs with technical, commercial and business advice to enable them take their innovative ideas from initiation to market entry.

Executive secretary, FC4S Lagos, Mr Emmanuel Etaderhi, said: “We are thrilled to be partnering with NCIC and IHS (Nigeria) Limited once again to support the fight against open defecation and improve access to clean water and sanitation facilities,” said

“The WASH Innovation Fair is a unique opportunity to drive innovation and create positive change in the water sector while promoting handwashing habits. Sectors experience progressive growth when innovation is allowed to thrive. We are thrilled that the project aims to scale the innovative ideas in the WASH sector just like we have been doing at NCIC for other cleantech sectors,” programs manager, Nigeria Climate Innovation Centre, Oluwatosin Ajide, said.