Abiodun Alabi and Funsho Folabi are two Nigerian friends based in Finland. Together they have founded SF Green Resources Nig. Ltd. They want to pioneer best practices and new technologies that will ameliorate livelihoods in Nigeria and simultaneously improve sustainable production in line with global standards. The specialty of the company is spotting and marketing high quality agricultural inputs and other eco-friendly products.
The motivated team is getting ready for their first construction of the Lytefire 4 model, and is seeking support to scale their activities to promote, produce and sell our solution locally. "It’s an exciting path : We have to bootstrap a whole new solar economy here," says Abiodun.
To start, they consider Benue and Plateau states in North Central Nigeria :
"Benue state is popularly referred to as ’The Food Basket of Nigeria’ because of her expansive rich soil and massive agricultural production of food and tree crops such as yam, cassava, mango, rice, maize etc. About 80% of the residents are engaged in farming as a way of life, many are still subsistence farmers in nature. Processing of harvests to reduce waste is a priority for local farmers with the intention of improving their financial position.
Plateau state is called the ‘The Home of Peace and Tourism’ because of her rich tourism potentials and blend of various cultures from all over Nigeria. It is also one of the most mineral rich states in Nigeria but agriculture is still the major provider of jobs to more than half the population in the state. Popular agricultural produce includes potatoes, maize, beans, vegetables, etc. Processing and storage of post-harvest collection has dominated concerns of local farmers over time" explains Abiodun.
"If I tell you how some of the people cook, it’s unbelievable : age old technology, so smoky, inefficient and unhealthy ! A lot of what we do is education. Many of the solutions out there are simply not known to our people, they are not aware of how sustainable practices can save them money and better their lives. We can’t wait to show people what we can do with GoSol.org !" adds Funsho.
Among the many targets they have identified, the two entrepreneurs are going to focus on solar bakeries and cooking units for schools and dehydrating processes for farmers.
SFGR’s website is here.
SF Green Resources, Nigeria
