Nigeria - Startup under 3 years old

Describe your project or startup in a few words

Ekopages is an education for Sustainability (ESD) platform that improves literacy in children across Nigeria while imparting them with green education to champion sustainable development in their communities.

01.01 Describe your startup in more detail

At Ekopages, we operate on 4 pillars: 1, An e-learning platform for children and teachers where they can access free and affordable indigenous ESD learning materials like books, courses, quizzes and short stories. 2, A community Development program tagged "The SDG Literacy Drive" where we sensitize children in marginalized communities about sustainability and climate education and cause them to take action in their communities. Through partnerships with local organizations and schools, we conduct literacy and climate education workshops, reaching over 50,000 children in the past two years. 3, We advocate for the adoption of ESD into the child learning curriculum. A testament of this is the inculcation of our books into the learning curriculum of Lagos State. 4. We provide a platform for other ESD creators to showcase and sell their works.

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

In accordance with indicator 4.7 'By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development' , according to our survey, over 90% of children in Nigeria are ignorant about sustainable development. Also, 75% of children in Nigeria struggle with literacy. Both are important for the growth and success of any nation. There is limited access to relatable ESD learning materials for children.

01.03 Tell us the major benefits and/or advantages of using the product/service that your startup provides (at least 3).

Children and educators can improve their literacy and green education knowledge which will cause them to take green action for the benefit of the planet. Our products are free, affordable and accessible to all children and individuals

01.04 Please describe who exactly your startup’s product/service is aimed at serving. Who are the targeted beneficiaries?

Our main target audience are children in Nigeria. Educators, youths and individuals are also not left out.

01.05 When was your company established?

2021-08-04

01.06 Are you already selling your product/service?

Yes

01.07 How many other owners are there within your startup?

2

01.08 Among the other owners, how many are female?

2

01.09 Please describe the profile of the other owners within your startup (skills, experience, etc.)

Yetunde Fadeyi has an impressive decade of experience as an energy and sustainability practitioner. Her expertise spans across both private and public institutions, showcasing her ability to navigate various sectors and contexts. Yetunde's proficiency in stakeholder management and grassroots mobilization within Renewable Energy, Climate, and Sustainability Projects further highlights their commitment to driving positive change within these areas. Mariam Olayiwola is a highly creative professional specializing in digital media management and content marketing. With over 4 years of experience, Mariam has honed her skills in developing and executing innovative digital campaigns. Her expertise lies in driving engagement, increasing brand awareness, and achieving business objectives through strategic and creative content marketing efforts.

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

https://ekopages.com/

01.11 Which industry best describes your project?

h) IT (digital services, equipment and software)

02.01.01 My startup contributes to the No poverty goal

6

02.01.02 No poverty - Justification for my startup

Through ESD, Ekopages champions the awareness that builds the resilience of the poor and those in vulnerable situations and reduce their exposure and vulnerability to climate-related extreme events.

02.02.01 My startup contributes to the Zero hunger goal

5

02.02.02 Zero hunger - Justification for my startup

We create an awareness on the importance of implementing resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen the capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters and that progressively improve land and soil quality.

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

5

02.03.02 Good health and well-being - Justification for my startup

We educate and create awareness to strengthen the capacity of all countries, in particular developing countries, for early warning, risk reduction and management of national and global health risks.

02.04.01 My startup contributes to the Quality education goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.04.02 Quality education - Justification for my startup

We ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development,

02.05.01 My startup contributes to the Gender equality goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.05.02 Gender equality - Justification for my startup

We enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology, to promote the empowerment of women and advocate for the End of all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere through our learning resources.

02.06.01 My startup contributes to the Clean water and sanitation goal

4

02.06.02 Clean water and sanitation - Justification for my startup

We educate and create awareness to support and strengthen the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management.

02.07.01 My startup contributes to the Affordable and clean energy goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.07.02 Affordable and clean energy - Justification for my startup

Through our community development program, The SDG Literacy Drive, we ensure local communities have access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services.

02.08.01 My startup contributes to the Decent work and economic growth

4

02.08.02 Decent work and economic growth - Justification for my startup

We advocate for other ESD content providers to publish their works on our platform and earn from it. This substantially reduces the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training.

02.09.01 My startup contributes to the Industry innovation and infrastructure

4

02.09.02 Industry innovation and infrastructure - Justification for my startup

Through our e-learning platform, we align with significantly increasing access to information and communications technology and strive to provide universal and affordable access to the Internet in the least developed countries

02.10.01 My startup contributes to the Reduced inequalities goal

3

02.10.02 Reduced inequalities - Justification for my startup

We create awareness and provide education to ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome.

02.11.01 My startup contributes to the Sustainable cities and communities goal

3

02.11.02 Sustainable cities and communities - Justification for my startup

We create awareness and provide education to ensure enhanced inclusive and sustainable urbanization and capacity for participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlement planning and management.

02.12.01 My startup contributes to the Responsible consumption and production goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.12.02 Responsible consumption and production - Justification for my startup

We ensure by 2030, people everywhere have the relevant information and awareness for sustainable development and lifestyles in harmony with nature.

02.13.01 My startup contributes to the Climate action goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.13.02 Climate action - Justification for my startup

We provide education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning.

02.14.01 My startup contributes to the Life below water goal

4

02.14.02 Life below water - Justification for my startup

We create awareness and provide education to address the impacts of ocean acidification, including through enhanced scientific cooperation at all levels.

02.15.01 My startup contributes to the Life on land goal

4

02.15.02 Life on land - Justification for my startup

We create awareness and provide education to ensure the conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements.

02.16.01 My startup contributes to the Peace Justice and Strong Institutions goal

3

02.16.02 Peace Justice and Strong Institutions- Justification for my startup

We create awareness and provide education to ensure the development of effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels.

02.17.01 My startup contributes to the Partnerships for the goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.17.02 Partnerships for the goal - Justification for my startup

We build on existing initiatives to develop measurements of progress on sustainable development that complement gross domestic product and support statistical capacity-building in Nigeria.

06.01 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

06.02 The product/service represents an entirely new type of product/service.

5

06.03 The product/service could be described as a new technology.

5

06.04 The product/service is an improvement on an existing product or service.

1 - Strongly Disagree

06.05 The product/service could be described as an extension of a range of products or services.

5

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

7 - Strongly Agree

06.07 The product/service is a new version of an old product/service.

5

06.08 Justification for my startup

At Ekopages, we create indigenous ESD materials for children and educators while promoting Literacy. We advocate for the adoption of ESD into the learning curriculum. We also create a platform for ESD content creators like authors and course creators to showcase their works. Finally, we sensitize children in Marginalized communities on green education. There is no other startup doing this in Nigeria.

06.09 Competitive Analysis

We currently have no competitors in Nigeria rendering all our services as one.

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

Yess. I create books with Female leads to educate the girl child to become entrepreneurs. We promote Gender equality in our projects.