UoN students awarded for Innovation bolstering Food Security
A UoN Students’ team dubbed Nexus were awarded half a million (Kshs. 500,000) for emerging the top in a competition dubbed the Great Millet quest. Team Kalmi and Soy mill walked away with Kshs, 250,000 and kshs. 100,000 respectively.
Team Nexus showcased their product milcracks. Milcracks are pro-biotic infused crackers made from millet and essential seeds and served either as a snack or breakfast.
Team Kalmi showcased a pre-cooked ready to eat millet meal while Team soymill showcased soymill noodled.
The aim of the Great Millet quest was to unlock the untapped potential of millet. The competition directly addressed the challenges of food security and climate change. The competition was a great example of how organizations can optimize the Industry-Academia linkage.
This was revealed in a culmination ceremony that was held at the Radisson Blu hotel on Friday, June 21, 2024. The Great Millet quest was launched at the UoN’s Kabete Campus in January 2024 and the competition started in March 2024.
While receiving the award, team Nexus expressed their excitement, ‘Developing our millet crackers fortified with probiotics has been an incredible journey. We’re not just excited about this win, we are passionate about the opportunity it presents to innovate and make a real difference in Kenya’s food landscape. We are eager to collaborate with Unilever and the wider organization to bring our millet crackers to market. We believe this product has the potential to revolutionize snacking in Kenya, offering a nutritious and sustainable option for everyone.’
Speaking during the award ceremony, the Vice Chancellor Prof. Stephen Kiama reiterated the importance of Academia and Industry linkage, emphasizing how collaborations like these foster creativity and practical learning among students. Prof. Kiama expressed his gratitude to Unilever and Farm to Market Alliance for their partnership and stressed the importance of such initiatives in shaping the future of innovation in Kenya.
Prof. Catherine Kunyanga, the driving force behind the university's team in the competition, shared her pride in the students' achievements. She said that every year students come up with innovations that can be adopted by industry. Her call to action resonated with the audience, urging companies to support and invest in student-led innovations that could pave the way for future advancements.
Unilever Africa platform lead Dexter Adeola said that the company would look at ways of supporting the winning projects with the possibility of adopting some of them.
The Great Millet Conquest not only showcased the innovative spirit of Kenya's youth but also underscored the power of collaboration between academia and industry. With promises of continued support and future partnerships, the event marked a milestone in the journey towards sustainable innovation and economic growth in the region.
Millet, known as “Nutri-cereal’, is packed with essential vitamins, minerals (such as iron and calcium), protein, antioxidants and starch resistance. Its resilience to adverse climatic conditions, inclusing drought, heat and pests, makes it an ideal agricultural value chain for smallholder farmers. It requires minimal inputs, such as water and fertilizer, and can thrive in diverse environments, including low and high altitudes.
