Student wins PHEDC innovative challenge

A 27-year old final year student of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umunike, Abia State, Ruth Chikodi has won the grand prize of N1 million in the creativity challenge competition organized by Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED) in partnership with Innovate4Africa.

Chikodi’s innovative product of recycling bio-waste into organic fertilizer emerged the overall winner, while Chizom Wordu came second with his product of recycling bio-waste into cooking fuel and went home with N500,000.

Presenting the cash prizes to the overall winner and 1st runner up at the grand finale in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of PHED Plc, Dr. Henry Ajagabawa, said the winners emerged after a transparency process, and urged them to use the opportunity to hit the gateway for future exploits.

Ajagabawa, who was represented by the Chief Services Officer of PHED,  Ochuko Amah, said: “We have a very robust Corporate Social Responsibility policy which propels us to identify and support sustainable initiatives with impactful results, hence the idea to partner Innovate4Africa.”

The Chief Operating Officer, Innovate4Africa, Mrs Cynthia Isang, in her remarks, said the prizes award presentation ceremony validates the authenticity of the competition and expressed confidence that more youths will embrace the innovative challenge in the next batch.