MTN Nigeria, WWF launch youth-driven PachiPanda challenge for environmental sustainability

Joy Agwunobi

MTN Nigeria, in collaboration with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and its local partner, the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF), has launched a new initiative aimed at empowering young entrepreneurs to develop innovative solutions for pressing environmental challenges in Africa.

The initiative, known as the “Nigeria PachiPanda Challenge,” is an open call to young visionaries and youth-led SMEs, aged 16 to 35, to bring forth their best ideas to tackle environmental issues that are affecting Nigeria today. The challenge invites young people to look beyond the ordinary, think outside the box, and develop creative solutions that address environmental concerns within their own communities.

Through this initiative, MTN Nigeria and WWF aim to inspire young people to engage directly with the environmental challenges they face and foster a generation of environmentally conscious leaders and entrepreneurs who are equipped to tackle Africa’s most pressing environmental issues, driving progress toward a more sustainable future.

According to the company, participants in the Nigeria PachiPanda Challenge can enter as individuals or form teams of up to three members. The competition seeks to identify and support the most promising ideas by immersing the top ten finalist teams in a three-day sprint event, which will focus on a human-centred design approach. This intense process will help participants refine their concepts and prepare them for a final pitch session, where they will present their groundbreaking solutions to a panel of industry experts.

The winning teams from this challenge will not only receive recognition and support within Nigeria but will also earn a chance to compete in the Africa PachiPanda contest, a larger platform where they will face off against other national champions from across the continent.

Speaking on the initiative, Tobe Okigbo, chief corporate services and sustainability officer at MTN Nigeria, highlighted the importance of leveraging the talents of Nigeria’s youth to address environmental challenges. “Nigeria is brimming with young talent eager to make a difference,the Nigeria PachiPanda Challenge is a golden opportunity for these bright minds to channel their creativity into tangible solutions that can reshape our environmental landscape for the better.”

Joseph Onoja, director-general of the Nigerian Conservation Foundation, shared a similar  sentiment, emphasising the role of collaboration in driving meaningful change.

“Collaboration is the cornerstone of impactful change,by joining forces with MTN, we aim to amplify the voices of our youth, turning their innovative ideas into actionable solutions that can safeguard our planet for future generations,” Onoja stated.