OAU undergraduate emerges finalist of Global Student Entrepreneur Awards

Olarewaju Fadodun, a microbiology undergraduate of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun, will compete at the 2017 Global Student Entrepreneurs Awards.

The world’s brightest student entrepreneurs from over 50 different countries will converge in Toronto, Canada, for the event.

Three students reached the final of the Nigerian version of the Global Student Entrepreneurship Awards.

The second and third runner-ups are Aliyu Bello Aliyu, a pharmacy student at Ahmadu Bello University Zaria and Emmanuel Tishion who studies business administration at the National Open University of Nigeria.

Falodun, Nigeria’s representative at the event, runs Temophadis International, a company which produces and packages food items such as bean flour for moin-moin, gbegiri soup and akara.

Speaking at the national award ceremony held at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta, Ogun state, Falodun said he grew his business by leveraging on his knowledge in food science, food microbiology, quality control and graphics design.

“I am skilled in food product formulation, food bio-preservation, food processing equipment design and cleanability and products branding,” he said.

Falodun said he has “worked as a salesperson of a frozen foods merchandise and as a manager of a start-up business enterprise in the time past”.

Entrepreneurs’ Organisation (EO) will host the students for two and a half days of learning, mentorship, and pitching of innovative business ideas.

The recipient of 2017 Global Student Entrepreneur is Julián Ríos Cantú of Higia Technologies, a teenage student from Monterrey Institute of Technology, Mexico.

Cantú started his business after watching his mother battle two cases of breast cancer.

Higia Technologies is a biosensor company dedicated to boosting women’s quality of life through professional self-exploratory methods that increase early detection of breast cancer.