ABA, NIGERIA — The commercial city of Aba received a substantial capital injection for its startup ecosystem as MTN Nigeria concluded the high-stakes Pitchathon segment of its youth empowerment drive, The Gathering on 100. Held at the Prime Time Event Centre in Osisioma, the two-day event brought together early-stage tech founders and micro-entrepreneurs to compete for a total equity-free grant pool of ₦5 million.
The initiative, designed to spot and fund scalable local business setups, awarded its top prize of ₦2.5 million to Trashverse Recycling Technology Limited. Founded by Charles Ikechukwu, a United Nations volunteer and climate advocate, the startup impressed judges with its localized, technology-driven approach to municipal waste management and processing.
Rewiring the Unit Economics of Local Recycling
Trashverse Recycling operates an integrated collection and pre-processing model that turns urban waste into an exportable asset. The startup buys recyclable plastic materials from local residents and informal collectors at a fixed rate of ₦180 per kilogram, providing a steady source of baseline income for community members.
Following its victory at the Pitchathon, the company plans to use the capital to transition from basic collection to advanced mechanical processing.
Ikechukwu explained that the ₦2.5 million grant will go directly toward purchasing an industrial waste-crushing machine. By crushing the plastics into raw pellets locally, the company can boost the market value of its inventory from ₦180 per kilogram to approximately ₦1,000 per kilogram before exporting it to global textile and manufacturing markets.
Other major winners included Utytrends Global Ventures, which secured the second-place prize of ₦1.5 million for its artisanal tech platform, and Yadah Food, which claimed the third-place prize of ₦1 million to scale its agricultural processing infrastructure.
Aba as an Emerging Center for Innovation
Nkwanta Iheoma Glory, a representative of Blue Caret Consult—one of the primary coordinating organizations working with MTN on the project—pointed out that Aba’s selection was a deliberate choice based on the city’s strong manufacturing history.
Organizers noted that the Aba rollout follows a highly successful Lagos edition of The Gathering, where early-stage startups across edtech, agritech, and healthtech lines split a larger ₦45 million funding pool.
“Aba is a rapidly expanding commercial hub with a rich entrepreneurial spirit,” Glory stated. “The Pitchathon ensures we aren’t just handing capital to unverified ideas. We are backing structured businesses with the potential to scale, create high-yield jobs, and transform the local economy within the next few years.”
