Six University of Ibadan graduates have emerged winners of the British American Tobacco Nigeria (BATN) Foundation Agripreneur Awards, each receiving a cash grant of ₦1.5 million. They are Samuel Afolabi, Akintayo Akintunde, Ojo Florence, Kehinde Amuo, Khadeejah Owolabi, and Eyitayo Ojo.
The winners were selected based on the originality, scalability, market potential, and sustainability of their agribusiness proposals.
The Graduate Agripreneur Program aims to bridge the gap between academic training and real-world agribusiness entrepreneurship, inspiring a new generation of young Nigerians to embrace agriculture as a viable career and source of livelihood. The winners will also benefit from access to land resources, mentorship from industry experts, and other business support to ensure the successful implementation of their ventures.
The winning agribusiness concepts cut across diverse agricultural value chains, including fish farming, apiary, silviculture, and livestock rearing. The BATN Foundation’s General Manager, Dare Odusanya, emphasised that the program is not just about funding but about building a generation of agri-leaders who will champion sustainability, food security, and rural development.
The University of Ibadan’s Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture and other stakeholders commended the winners, expressing pride in their accomplishments and anticipating their positive contributions to the agricultural sector.
