Nigeria - Business creation project

Describe your project or startup in a few words

We are building an online marketplace that will connect Quick Service Restaurants and grocery stores with users who can buy unsold surplus food at a fraction of the cost, helping them reduce their carbon footprint, reduce food waste and end hunger.

01.01 Describe your project in more detail

Over 40% of produced food in Nigeria goes to waste while 25 million Nigerians are living in hunger (https://shorturl.at/BnG1Y, https://shorturl.at/3KcgU). Food inflation is over 40% in Nigeria (https://shorturl.at/2DYcc), and everyone wants to get food at a good price. Our Survey of over 450 respondents and 12 Vendors shows that based on food safety legislation vendors dispose of their surplus food whereas there are willing buyers who would buy the same food for a fraction of the cost. By doing this they are losing revenue, spending thousands of dollars on waste management and increasing their carbon footprint. We have teamed up at Didiya to solve this problem, by creating a technology-enabled platform that connects Quick service restaurants and grocery stores to customers. The connection is to enable customers to buy the surplus food at a fraction of the cost as they approach shelf life.

01.02 What is the main problem you are trying to solve?

The main problem Didiya is solving is the problem of food waste, Greenhouse gas emissions and hunger. These are the core sustainable development goals of the United Nations. We are solving the problem of food waste by creating a technology-enabled marketplace for quick service restaurants and grocery stores to sell their surplus food as they approach shelf life which were hitherto being disposed of. The cascading effect of surplus food disposal is an increased carbon footprint from restaurants. By capturing the surplus food, we are helping reduce this footprint while simultaneously feeding millions of hungry people. Amongst other things plaguing the African community, access to good food has become quite the challenge, more so at a time like this, where food inflation is at an all-time high. Didiya is well-positioned to help this demographic get food at a fraction of the cost, increase revenue for quick-service restaurants and grocery stores, while also saving our environment.

01.03 Tell us the major benefits and/or advantages of using the product/service that your project intends to provide (at least 3).

The benefits that Didiya provides cut across these three Sustainable Development Goals (SDG): - Climate action (Goal 13) - Zero Hunger (Goal 2) - Economic growth (Goal 9) Food waste contributes 5% to greenhouse gas emissions in Nigeria, by using our technology-powered marketplace to sell surplus food which hitherto was disposed of as waste, restaurants and grocery stores can reduce their carbon footprint, and by so doing become climate-responsible corporations. Over 25 million Nigerians are food insecure, Didiya provides the opportunity for people in this demographic to access good food at a fraction of the cost as we journey toward the Zero Hunger goal of the United Nations. Quick service restaurants and grocery stores are losing revenue and wasting millions of Naira on waste management. This is exactly where Didiya comes in to return this value to them, which would foster economic growth.

01.04 Please describe who exactly your project is aimed at serving. Who are the targeted beneficiaries?

Didiya's direct beneficiaries are the over 25 million Nigerians living in hunger and thousands of quick-service restaurants and grocery stores losing money to food waste. The ripple effect of breeding climate-responsible corporations helps the nation in its war against climate change, preserve our environment and make it safer for the over 200 million Nigerians. This makes our solution a game-changer for the entire nation.

01.05 When did you start working on your project?

2024-05-19

01.06 How many other partners are associated with your business venture?

2

01.07 Among the other partners, how many are female?

1

01.08 Please describe the profile of each of the other partners (skills, experience, etc.)

Partner 1 - Name: James Udom - Role: Chief Executive Officer (CEO) - Background: MS in Operations Management, 7 years in Supply Chain Management across various sectors. - Key Skills: Leadership, Supply Chain Management, Climate Action. - Experience and Expertise: Founded a career-focused mentorship platform for rural students. Led the Quality Assurance team of a healthtech startup. Partner 2 - Name: Princess Chukwudire - Role: Chief Product Officer (CPO) - Background: MS in Chemistry, 3 years in Product Design. - Key Skills: Service Design, Visual Design, Empathy Mapping, Information Architecture - Experience and Expertise: Dynamic professional with expertise in Product Design and Customer Service, architecting user-centric designs for climate change organisations.

01.09 If you have a website, a social media page (Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin…), or app, please provide the link here:

http://www.mydidiya.com/

01.10 Which industry best describes your project?

l) Agriculture

02.01.01 My project contributes to the No poverty goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.01.02 No poverty - Justification

02.02.01 My project contributes to the Zero hunger goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.02.02 Zero hunger - Justification

Over 25 million Nigerians are food insecure, Didiya provides the opportunity for people in this demographic to access good food at a fraction of the cost as we journey to the Zero Hunger goal. Our technology-enabled solution aggregates quick service restaurants and customers on a single platform to facilitate the purchase of food at a cost that is affordable to the everyday citizen.

02.03.01 My project contributes to the Good health and well-being goal

5

02.03.02 Good health and well-being - Justification

By providing affordable food to the Over 25 million Nigerians who are food insecure, Didiya is promoting good health and well-being.

02.04.01 My project contributes to the Quality education goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.04.02 Quality education - Justification

02.05.01 My project contributes to the Gender equality goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.05.02 Gender equality - Justification

02.06.01 My project contributes to the Clean water and sanitation goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.06.02 Clean water and sanitation - Justification

02.07.01 My project contributes to the Affordable and clean energy goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.07.02 Affordable and clean energy - Justification

02.08.01 My project contributes to the Decent work and economic growth

7 - Strongly Agree

02.08.02 Decent work and economic growth - Justification

By providing an opportunity for Quick service restaurants and grocery stores to capture financial value from food waste, Didiya helps to foster economic growth for both our vendors and the national economy.

02.09.01 My project contributes to the Industry innovation and infrastructure

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.09.02 Industry innovation and infrastructure - Justification

02.10.01 My project contributes to the Reduced inequalities goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.10.02 Reduced inequalities - Justification

02.11.01 My project contributes to the Sustainable cities and communities goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.11.02 Sustainable cities and communities - Justification

02.12.01 My project contributes to the Responsible consumption and production goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.12.02 Responsible consumption and production - Justification

Didiya ensures responsible consumption by ensuring unsold surplus food from nearby locations are resold to others.

02.13.01 My project contributes to the Climate action goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.13.02 Climate action - Justification

Food waste contributes 5% to greenhouse gas emissions in Nigeria, by using our technology-powered marketplace to sell surplus food which hitherto was disposed of as waste, restaurants and grocery stores can reduce their carbon footprint, and by so doing contribute to climate action.

02.14.01 My project contributes to the Life below water goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.14.02 Life below water - Justification

02.15.01 My project contributes to the Life on land goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.15.02 Life on land - Justification

02.16.01 My project contributes to the Peace justice and strong institutions goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.16.02 Peace justice and strong institutions - Justification

02.17.01 My project contributes to the Partnerships for the goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.17.02 Partnerships for the goal - Justification

Didiya is bringing together various stakeholders such as climate actors, quick service restaurants, grocery stores and technology enthusiasts to work together to achieve three of the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals.

05.01 There are a large number of customers who already use a product/service very similar to the product/service we envision creating.

1 - Strongly Disagree

05.02 The product/service we envision creating represents an entirely new type of product/service.

6

05.03 The product/service we envision creating could be described as a new technology.

6

05.04 The product/service we envision creating is an improvement on an existing product or service.

1 - Strongly Disagree

05.05 The product/service we envision creating could be described as an extension of a range of products or services.

1 - Strongly Disagree

05.06 The product/service we envision creating responds to a demand or need that has not been satisfied by other products/services.

7 - Strongly Agree

05.07 The product/service we envision creating is a new version of an old product/service.

1 - Strongly Disagree

05.08 Justification

Didiya is eclectic as it provides the most innovative approach to solving the issue of climate change, which has bedevilled developing countries like Nigeria. Our project is novel because it leverages technology to address three major Sustainable Development Goals at scale. We have found an innovative approach to help quick service restaurants and grocery stores reduce their carbon food footprint and simultaneously recapture lost revenue.

05.09 Who are your main potential competitors and what makes you stand out from them?

Our principal competitors are Chowberry and Cold hubs. Our differentiation lies in our profit model, robust technology and our focus on Quick Service Restaurants and grocery stores. Chowberry is run on a not for profit model and focuses on manufacturers and Cold hubs is not technology focused.

10.06 Are you initiating actions within your community to promote the role of female entrepreneurs?

As part of our effort to promote female entrepreneurship, we have consciously recruited female members into our team. A female is leading our Product design.