Sara Ekondo, from Awana Foods, which provides solutions to stem the sourcing of excess and b-grade produce from farmers, walked away with N$100,000 in prize money.

Ekondo was among the 101 applicants from six different countries, such as South Africa, Botswana, India, Portugal, Namibia, and Kenya, who participated in the Capricorn Foundation Food Waste Challenge competition.

The Oshakati-based business further converts fruits and vegetables into different products with the aim of prolonging shelf life while still retaining their nutritional values. The business also produces products such as chutney and concentrated syrup.

Sara Ekondo, the overall winner of the competition, burst out in tears of joy after the announcement and commended the Capricorn Foundation for the initiative.

The competition aims to find ways to reduce food waste in the country, create possibilities for addressing food security for the most vulnerable people, and impact society to improve the quality of life of many.

Out of the 422 people who registered for the challenge, only 101 of those submissions were formally entered.
 
According to the United Nations Environment Programme 2021 report, about 931 million tons of food go to waste each year.

About 17% of global food production goes to waste, with 11% coming from households, 5% from the food service sector, and 2% from retail.

In addition, an audit conducted by the City of Windhoek in 2020 found that a total of 19 tons of waste were recorded, with organic food products, leftovers, and organic garden refuse making up the biggest proportion of waste categories.