OCP Africa and BlackCountry Farms have been revealed as the main sponsors for the Brightest National Agric Science Quiz Competition, set to premiere on top TV stations in Nigeria and Africa starting Saturday, April 6, 2024.
Brightest, dubbed the largest and most captivating high school contest with a special emphasis on food production, preservation, and technology.
Agriculture forms the bedrock of civilization and a steady economy. Industrial agricultural advancement in Africa has seen minimal uptake. To positively alter this scenario, Africa must initiate a deliberate agricultural revolution, which will inevitably boost food production, processing, and preservation through technology. This transformation led to the inception of the Brightest National Agric Science Competition.
The Brightest National Agric Science Quiz Contest 1.0 commenced in October 2023, involving 16,039 students from 2,559 schools sitting for the National Qualifying Examination, conducted online on the CruxCBT platform.
After the tests, 81 students from across the six geopolitical zones qualified for the second phase of the competition, where they stand a chance to win various amounts of university scholarships based on their performance.
To kickstart this phase, these students attended a special Brightest Masterclass 1.0 where OCP Africa Group, Backcountry Farms, and Providus Bank interacted with them on agricultural technology.
During the session, Dr. Donald Madueke, head of Agronomy, Africa at OCP Group, and Ms. Ifunanya Meka, Agronomy Service Officer, took the students on an interactive journey of food production titled “From farm to table; the journey of our food,” analyzing the food chain process from planting to consumption using technology.
They highlighted the symbiotic relationship between food, farmers, and consumers, emphasizing the importance of understanding food production stages and the need for agricultural knowledge.
In groups of 10, the students were tasked with selecting their favorite food and giving a five-minute presentation on the planting and harvesting process.
Ms. Alexis Udegbe, Head, Strategy & Growth, CoS, BlackCountry Holdings, discussed various technologies for farming purposes, both in plants and animal rearing. Ms. Olajumoke Adetola of Providus Bank lectured the students on “Financial Responsibility.”
At the end of the Brightest Masterclass 1.0, there was a Q&A session and a photo session with the students and sponsors.
Kiki Omeili, the Brightest TV Host, hosted the event, connecting with the students based on her science background as a University of Lagos-trained Medical Doctor.
One of the highlights of this inaugural season of the Brightest National Agric Science Competition is to raise N100m from individuals and corporate organizations for the university education of the top 81 students and some outstanding teachers.
Brightest National Agric Science Competition is a creation of JustMedia Production, Africa’s largest school-based content aggregator, with projects such as InterswitchSPAK National Science Competition Nigeria and Kenya; Cowbellpedia National Math Contest; MathContest Nigeria; Cruxlearning Math Contest Africa, and WordSmith.
Source: Techeconomy
