MTN Nigeria, in partnership with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) through its local partner, the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF), on Monday unveiled the Nigeria PachiPanda Challenge, an initiative aimed at empowering young people to promote environmental sustainability.
The challenge is designed to give young people the opportunity to develop innovative, long-term solutions to pressing environmental problems and advance sustainability efforts across the country. It forms part of the broader Africa PachiPanda Challenge, which seeks to stimulate and promote creative ideas that address urgent environmental issues across the continent.
Chinwe Udo-Davis, Founder and Managing Consultant at ResourcePRO Ltd., said the initiative aims to equip young people with the tools and skills needed to develop impactful solutions to environmental challenges. She added that the programme would also support African youth and youth-led SMEs to design sustainable, innovative ideas for environmental resilience.
Udo-Davis urged young entrepreneurs to clearly define the value they offer and distinguish their products or services to remain competitive and attractive in the marketplace.
“The marketplace functions on an exchange of value, and customers pay only when a product delivers clear benefits that address specific problems or pain points,” she said.
“The only reason anyone will give you money is because you are giving them value. If your solution does not put real value into the hands of your customer, they will not pay for it — whether you are building a commercial or social enterprise.”
She stressed that entrepreneurs must articulate the core benefits of their products, whether through superior quality, reliability, pricing, faster delivery or exceptional customer service.
“Even when your product is more expensive, customers will pay a premium if the value is higher,” she added.
Udo-Davis noted that many entrepreneurs worry about competition, but differentiation in business models and approaches enables companies to stand out even within the same sector.
She also highlighted the importance of storytelling and effective communication, describing them as critical skills for founders, especially when pitching to investors or joining accelerator programmes. Many entrepreneurs, she said, assume their ideas will speak for themselves, but visibility and clear narrative-building are essential.
“No matter how brilliant your idea is, no one will know if you cannot communicate it. I struggled with storytelling at the beginning, but I had to learn,” she said.
She recalled her experience at a pan-African pitch event in Nairobi, where overcoming her fear of public speaking helped her team win a 150,000-dollar grant — a milestone she described as transformative for her business.
She said communication skills remain crucial during fundraising rounds, product promotion and investor engagement, urging entrepreneurs to seek platforms such as Toastmasters to strengthen their presentation skills.
Udo-Davis encouraged innovators, particularly those working in climate and SDG-related sectors, to clearly communicate their purpose, impact and unique strengths.
“Your ability to articulate your value, uniqueness and impact is just as important as the solution you are building,” she said.
Speaking during the interactive masterclass session, Mr. Harold Okonoboh, President of the Recycles Association of Nigeria (RAN), urged participants to explore opportunities in the recycling sector. He advised aspiring entrepreneurs to begin as middlemen to understand the value chain before committing to major investments.
He explained that starting as a middleman offers newcomers a practical understanding of the recycling ecosystem, particularly across major waste streams such as plastics, metals, paper and electronic waste.
“The approach allows new entrants to participate actively without the burden of heavy capital expenditure. It also helps them identify what recycles require and how to source materials efficiently within their communities,” he said.
Okonoboh encouraged participants to gain hands-on experience by working with established recycling companies, noting that learning directly from industry players would help young innovators avoid costly mistakes.
He described Nigeria’s recycling sector as fragmented but rich with opportunities, especially in the adoption of digital technologies for waste collection and the local fabrication of recycling machinery.
According to him, local artisans possess the technical ability to produce some recycling components, although improvements in design and precision are needed to meet industrial standards.
He also underscored RAN’s role in guiding private-sector operators and engaging regulators on policies affecting the circular economy.
“Staying connected with regulatory bodies is important for anyone entering the sector to avoid investments in areas that may later be restricted. Ignorance of the law is not an excuse,” he said.
Okonoboh assured participants of continued support and expressed willingness to provide further guidance to those interested in exploring opportunities within the recycling value chain.
