RISTO Ashikoto, the founder of NAMAloe Vera Products, was named the best young innovator in manufacturing at the recently concluded BRICS Youth Innovation Summit held at Tshwane University of Technology in South Africa.
The summit was held from 28 to 30 March, under the theme ‘Linking Investment to Youth-Driven Innovation’.
It aimed to create a space to empower and support young entrepreneurs and innovators already working on projects with a prosocial impact in the real world, as well as serve as a meeting point for promising young entrepreneurs and business leaders, investors, partners, and experts from around the world.
“Being a manufacturing winner now allowed me to sell NAMAloe Vera products in Brazil, India, China, Russia, South Africa, and many other African countries that were part of the summit,” says Ashikoto.
He considers himself fortunate to be the only Namibian to represent the country at the summit.
“I believe my presence at the summit represented the voice that Namibia as a country will have to offer the international world. I’m excited about the opportunity,” says Ashikoto.
During the summit, Ashikoto unveiled his new Kalahari wild melon product.
“We have identified about 16 end products that we can produce using the Kalahari wild melon, but for the time being, we have decided to focus on tissue oil, virgin oil, and instant porridge.”
They are in the process of involving the Namibian Standards Institution (NSI), as the plan is to promote the production of this plant in Namibia in order to assist the agricultural sector in making a meaningful contribution to the international market.
Currently, Namibia does not have any agricultural end products to offer to the world market, relying too heavily on imported food and products to sustain livelihoods, which must change, says Ashikoto.
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