Adebowale Onafowora, fondly called Debo, is a social Entrepreneur, with Expertise in Agribusiness & Value chains development spanning 17years. He is the MD/CEO of Bic Farms Concepts, a company he founded in 2006. In 2014, he also co-founded 1two5ten Ltd, a company that processed and packaged NAFDAC Certified locally grown food for Entrepreneurs to re-sell. He was Managing Director of the company until 2016. Debo, a trained Quantity Surveyor from the prestigious Yaba College of Technology, Yaba, Lagos (class of 2002), ventured into Agripreneurship, a field he was introduced to and trained on by his father throughout his growing years.
He has since attended courses on Aquaculture from the Songhai Centre, Benin Republic, Commercial Hydroponics Technology farming from Hydroponics Academy, Cape town, South Africa, Oxfam Wip and Enterprise Development training at EDC of Pan Atlantic University, Lagos, and several other trainings/ Conferences both online and offline. He innovated and developed the first localized bio filter for Recirculating Aquaculture
System (RAS) from pumice stone and crates, in order to produce high quality Catfish and tilapia fingerlings and juveniles, cheaply in 2003. The technology has since been passed on to more than 200 individuals. He also pioneered commercial Hydroponics Technology Farming in Nigeria.
Debo also went on to offer consultancy services to the higher institutions of learning. He established and managed Afe Babalola University, Ado- Ekiti (ABUAD) Farms Moringa Project (the largest in West Africa) as well as the University’ phase2 500,000 capacity Fish farm project.
He served as the Managing Consultant to Landmark University Commercial Farms and Project Lead Consultant to the Landmark University Hydroponics Technology Farm (Oct 2017-Date). Currently under Debo’s keen leadership, Bic Farms Concepts has collaborated with LMU to become the first University in Nigeria to set up a Greenhouse and Hydroponics technology Centre, where students, staff, and others are regularly trained on Hydroponics and greenhouse farming. In October 2021, Debo became one of the only 12 Green skill innovation winners in the world, by Ashoka and HSBC, and an MB100 ( Meaningful business) 2021 winner.
Debo is a passionate teacher, a UK certified Transformational coach, trainer, and author. He has trained over 20,000 individuals in the last 10 years across Africa in Soilless farming, Aquaculture using RAS, Processing of different Agro products, etc. He is a Certified Professional Enterprise Manager (CPEM), Fellow of the Institute of Agribusiness Management Nigeria (FIAM), Fellow of the African Institute of Enterprise Development & Management (FAIE) and an Ashoka Global Fellow.