Accra, Ghana, May 27, 2019//-Nestlé, nutrition health and wellness giant today launched a Research and Development (R&D) innovation challenge for start-ups operating in Sub-Saharan Africa as part of its efforts to contribute to the local innovation ecosystem.
The challenge will help boost local entrepreneurship, as well as provide a platform for start-ups and universities to contribute to local sustainable growth by bringing breakthrough ideas to the market.
The four-week long challenge which was launched in Accra, Ghana would also take place in Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa.
The R&D innovation start-up challenge calls for novel solutions across four areas: environmentally friendly packaging solutions, sustainable cocoa plantlets, affordable nutrition and new routes to market.
The goal is to work collaboratively with start-ups and universities to identify sustainable and scalable science and technology solutions that help to accelerate the innovation of products that meet local consumer needs.
Stefan Palzer, Nestlé Chief Technology Officer said, “There is a growing number of Africa-based entrepreneurs and local researchers with creative ideas to address issues facing their communities.
This R&D innovation challenge presents for our company an exceptional opportunity to leverage the outstanding creativity, while helping to turn the most promising ideas into reality.”
To engage with local start-ups, Nestlé partnered with Kinaya Ventures as part of the Spring Fellowship Program, which is designed to accelerate corporate start-up partnerships and catalyze digital entrepreneurship. The challenge also calls upon universities in Central and West African countries to submit solutions.
In a press conference in Accra to kick start the multi country roadshow, Philomena Tan, Managing Director of Nestlé Ghana said: “With multi-stakeholder collaborations through innovation, scientific research and development backed by the right resources and the needed engagement, local consumer needs including affordable nutrition, sustainable agricultural produce and environmental friendly packaging are attainable”.
She therefore encouraged start-ups and students of universities to participate in the innovation challenge to able them benefit from the challenge’s training, mentoring and others.
On her part, Laissa Moquen, Co-founder and CEO of Kinaya told the journalists that the selected teams would enter an accelerator program to help advance and potentially commercialize their ideas.
According to him, the start-up and university teams during the accelerator program would have access to Nestlé’s R&D expertise and infrastructure at the R&D Centre in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, including shared labs, kitchens and pilot-testing equipment.
At the end of the accelerator program, teams will have the opportunity to pitch their proof of concept to Nestlé management, Madam Moquen added.
The Innovation & Renovation Champion and the Business Executive Officer, Culinary of Nestle Central and West Africa, Dominique Allier, emphasized the importance of the innovation challenge to the growth and survival of the start-ups.
He said: “We launched the Research & Development innovation challenge, which will span the six countries to further accelerate innovation which is core to bring to live Nestlé’s purpose of “enhancing quality of life and contributing to a healthier future”.
The R&D innovation challenge is part of Nestlé’s Global Youth Initiative which has an ambition to help 10 million young people around the world have access to economic opportunities by 2030, Nestec Switzerland’s Program Manager in-charge of Affordable Nutrition, Celine Worth said in a short presentation.
This supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals on promoting inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all, she added.
It would be called that in 2018, Nestlé also partnered with Ashoka and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation to create the Social Investment Accelerator, which accelerates social entrepreneurship and boosts economic development of Africa.
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