Admin l Wednesday, February 12, 2020
LAGOS, Nigeria – In furtherance of Interswitch’s commitment to reward and inspire students’ interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), select staff of Interswitch Group recently had one day specially dedicated to teaching STEM subjects at Agidingbi Senior Grammar School in Lagos.
Under the Interswitch Volunteer Network program, select staff of Interswitch Group visited the school and taught Chemistry, Physics, Further Mathematics and Biology to SS1, SS2 and SS3 students.
InterswitchSPAK, a CSR initiative of Interswitch Group, is a pan-African science competition designed to empower students studying STEM. The initiative was introduced for high school students to develop, ignite and chart career paths in STEM fields, while driving them towards optimizing their potentials to make Africa a better place.
Enyioma Anaba, Group Head, Corporate Marketing at Interswitch Group, noted that the goal of the initiative is to contribute to Nigeria and Africa’s quest to drive up interest in STEM.
She said: “At Interswitch we are committed to providing mentorship which is why the Interswitch Volunteer Network program is a critical part of the InterswitchSPAK Switch-a-Future initiative. The aim is use the program to expand the desired impact of the InterswitchSPAK initiative. With the program we are connecting more Interswitch staff with more secondary school students to provide mentorship while reiterating the importance of STEM to the students, the nation and the Africa continent”.
She explained that the goal of the InterswitchSPAK project is to encourage students to be interested in and possibly seek opportunities in the tech space.
“We want to catch them young. As the world gradually gravitates towards technology, the future of work becomes more and more hinged on higher levels of productivity, innovation, and automation. Therefore, it is important that the younger generation is primed for this shift as they would be at the forefront of rapid adoption of the machine age”, she added.
Kola Odesanmi, Principal of Agidingbi Senior Grammar School, thanked Interswitch staff for creating time to teach the students, and encourage them in the STEM space. He said, “STEM education is becoming increasingly important in the light of the growing interconnectedness occasioned by the emerging digital society.”
He called on other corporate organizations to follow the good example that the Interswitch Group has set, by investing in young students who are the future of the country.
The Interswitch Volunteer Network program is in its second year. The maiden edition of the volunteer drive was held last year in two secondary schools; Ajuwon High School and Community High School Ojodu-Abiodun, Ogun State. The program has not only impacted the young students but also influenced conversations around teens, technology and human potential.
Olam International, a leading global agri-business, has partnered the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Solve (MIT Solve) to design a Challenge aimed at addressing the issues around sustainable food systems in Nigeria. Olam International and MIT Solve co-hosted a Challenge Design Workshop which held at Eko Hotel, Lagos, on Tuesday, February 4, 2020.
’MIT Solve is a hybrid business incubator and business ideas marketplace from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, that advances solutions from tech entrepreneurs to address pressing global issues. MIT Solve connects innovators with resources such as expertise, human capital, technology, and funding’.
The workshop was designed to engage cross-sector stakeholders in Nigeria, to deliberate on issues affecting the country’s agri-business ecosystem and aid MIT in designing Solve’s 2020 Global Challenges.
The event was also aimed at building connections amongst individuals and organizations with an interest in innovation, to address social and environmental challenges.
Addressing the audience on the rationale behind the event, Mukul Mathur, Country Head, Olam Nigeria said: “Olam started as a single-man, single product operation in Nigeria and we have managed to achieve massive growth over a 30-year period.
However, we still face problems and we cannot fix these challenges alone. We realize the value of having an ecosystem which can help in proffering solutions, especially around sustainable food systems in Nigeria. It is important to have such an ecosystem of likeminded people. I know that together, we can fix these problems.”
Sharon Bort, Officer, Sustainability Community for MIT Solve, described the programme as an initiative of the MIT aimed at solving identified global challenges.
According to her, the MIT Solve cycle which starts in February of each year initiates competitions in the areas of Economic Prosperity, Health, Learning and Sustainability. Bort added that MIT Solve decided to focus on challenges associated with food in an attempt to find solutions to issues around sustainable food systems.
According to Julie Greene, Vice President, Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability, Olam International, the rise in the world’s population presents an opportunity for players in the agricultural value chain with the rapid rate of urban migration resulting in mass movements away from farms where crops are harvested.
She said: “For most part of history, people lived near their food sources, they grew their own food. Today over 50% of the population lives in the cities. This has huge implications because of the channels through which these food products are transported and stored. The bigger challenge is that it inhibits people from having a healthy diet.”
Ms. Green pointed out that agriculture also has its negative impacts, despite its positive effects. She said: “Agriculture and other land uses are responsible for a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions from fertilizers, deforestation and transportation. Agriculture is responsible for 70% of freshwater withdrawals. While these are critical to productivity, they also have polluting effects on the environment.
We only grow enough food to feed the population, but the problem is that 1/3 of that food never actually reaches our plates due to food loss and waste. Therefore, the food system needs innovation and that is why we are here today to answer the question “what are the various opportunities for a sustainable food system?’”
Reji George, Vice President, Farming Initiatives, Olam Nigeria identified food loss and wastage amongst some of the challenges encountered in agribusiness. He said: “One third of
the global food production is wasted; and this is estimated to be around 1.3 billion tonnes of food. If food losses can be improved upon, global food security, food systems and nutrition will also improve.”
He however added that Olam has commissioned surveys in some selected states in Nigeria, while also working with farmers to know the extent of losses incurred during harvest and find ways of reducing such losses.
