Purity Gakuo, a Kenyan was announced the winner of the Global Young Entrepreneur of the Year and the Business for Good awards in a ceremony held in Hague, the Netherlands.
Gakuo, 25, was recognized for her efforts to help fishermen in Kenya to preserve fish amid the storage challenges that often led to losses.
She is the founder of Kuza Freezers, a company which manufactures solar energy-powered freezers. The company distributes the freezers to fishermen hence helping them in the preservation of their harvests.
Gakuo received over 33% of the total votes to scoop the award and a prize of Ksh1.2 million.
Gakuo, while speaking before the ceremony, stated that winning the award would have an immense impact on the beneficiaries of her project.
She further revealed her intention to use the over Ksh1.2 million prize won to accelerate the production of the freezers to meet the demand from the dozens of fishermen in dire need of storage facilities.
Her project had benefited over 250 small-scale farmers and created employment opportunities for over 50 women who set up businesses related to fisheries.
"I founded my business because I wanted to bridge the cold chain gap in the fish value chain by helping these small-scale fishermen reduce poor harvest losses and improve their income.
We do this by manufacturing and distributing solar-powered freezers offered on a pay-as-you-go model," she stated.
In addition to scooping the two awards, Gakuo was admitted into the Youth Business International (YBI) for being the overall winner of the awards which brought together young entrepreneurs from the world over.
She also secured a chance to undergo a business coaching session sponsored by the YBI.
YBI supports young entrepreneurs in starting, growing and sustaining businesses by equipping them with the skills and confidence needed to spur their businesses.
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