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| Evans Kamau Munira |
A 32-year-old Swedish-Kenyan has won the prestigious European-African
Entrepreneurship Award for a proposal to covert used cooking oils, widely used
in the restaurant industry, into biodiesel.
The awards were held in The Hague in the Netherlands on
Saturday, with nine African-European entrepreneurs pitching their ideas for a
business that could be adapted in the country of their origin.
Evans Kamau Munira eventually emerged as the winner. A computer
engineer who runs a lucrative taxi business in Stockholm, his sustainable
concept would provide an alternative fuel source for the
non-petroleum-producing Kenya, which currently relies heavily on imports.
Cooking oils and other oil sources can be found in Kenya in large quantities,
while research conducted by Kamau last year found that the transport industry
yearns for cheaper and more efficient fuels. With diesel costs becoming
uneconomical, the costs of running vehicles in most companies was quoted as
between 30 per cent and 50 per cent of total company costs.
Kamau plans to invest the $3,800 prize money into his
company, which he is calling Nairo-Bio Limited. “This is so overwhelming,” he
said in the immediate aftermath of his win. “I’m sweating and trembling,
because I didn’t expect anything like this. Biodiesel would provide a great
alternative fuel source that would be both environmentally and economically
friendly.”
Migrant organizations from countries such as the
Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Sweden, Italy, Spain, France, Switzerland, and
Luxemburg all invited their members to come up with business ideas, with over
80 responding to the call. Nine were asked to attend the award ceremony, with
Kamau eventually coming out on top. Already an established entrepreneur, he has
been running his taxi business for the last five years. Last year it had a
turnover of $1.2 million. He has also branched out into other sectors, and is now
keen to launch an operation in the Kenyan market.
“I have also been importing fruits, vegetables and flowers
from Kenya to Sweden, currently facing challenges in freight logistics, which
have made it difficult to guarantee timely delivery to my clients,” he says.
“With a family background of business in coffee growing, animal production,
hotel and restaurant industry, I have a diverse experience in the functionality
of the Kenyan market.”
“It has come to the point in my current company where I can
run it remotely with the help of a manager to oversee the operations. This is
why I have decided to start a new business.”
The European-African Entrepreneurship Award is co-organized
by Oxfam-Novib, Black Dutch, Diaspora Forum for Development and BiD Network
Foundation.
Source: Ventures Africa
To read Kamau's Professional biography go to http://www.europeanafricanentrepreneurshipaward.eu/en/entrepreneurs/
Congratulations to Evans Kamau! It's no surprise. He's really great!
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