Twelve young entrepreneurs from across Africa have been named as finalists in the inaugural $100,000 Generation Africa GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize.
The new “Generation Africa” initiative is a continent-wide competition launched on 30 May to select two innovative ventures in the agri-food sector to win $50,000 each in social impact investment as well as mentoring support.
These Twelve finalists are from Botswana, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.
On 3 September 2019, the 12 agripreneurs, each founder of financially viable ventures in the agri-food sector, will take part in a live grand finale competition at the Africa Green Revolution Forum in Accra, Ghana.
The following day, two winners will be announced at the AGRF Gala Dinner alongside the winner of this year’s prestigious Africa Food Prize.
The 2019 GoGettaz competition is the flagship project of Generation Africa, a broader partnership initiative, founded by Yara International and Econet Global launched in Davos earlier this year when it released Landscape Study: Youth Enterprise in Africa’s Agri-Food Sector.
“A new generation of tech-savvy agripreneurs will help deliver the jobs, prosperity and food security that are vital to Africa’s future,” noted Luis Alfredo Pérez, Head of Business Unit Africa at Yara International.
The 12 GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize finalists for 2019 are:
Women
1.) Ecodudu Limited, Starlin Farah, Kenya
Ecodudu Limited is a feed manufacturing and fertilizer producing company that uses Black Soldier Fly insect technology to sustainably and consistently offer alternative protein for animals. We focus on the betterment of social, economic and environmental aspects in our business model.
2.) Gourmet Grubb, Leah Bessa, South Africa
Gourmet Grubb has created a dairy alternative/alt Protein using Black Soldier Fly larvae, farmed commercially. The aim is to introduce insects as a sustainable, scalable, nutrient-dense food source to the world with the goal of reducing the pressures of traditional farming on the planet.
3.) Le Lionceau, Siny Samba, Senegal
Le Lionceau values local African resources with high nutritional value to improve the nutritional health of moms and baby food value chain by collaborating with local farmers.
4.) Maungo Craft, Bonolo Monthes, Botswana
Maungo Craft works with oil producers and communities to turn underused indigenous fruits of Botswana into gourmet low-to-no-sugar preserves. We put our culture in a bottle.
5.) ReelFruit Nigeria, Affiong Williams, Nigeria
ReelFruit is the largest dried fruit processing company in Nigeria by revenue and distribution. A range of 6 unique dried fruit and nut snacks is retailed in over 250 locations in Nigeria as well as schools, airlines, hotels, and exports to Belgium, Switzerland and the US via Amazon.com.
6.) Women Smiles Uganda, Lilian Nakigozi, Uganda
Women Smiles Uganda is a women-founded, women-led and women-focused social enterprise that was founded by likeminded young female social entrepreneurs with an aim of transforming the lives of women through eradication of hunger and poverty using vertical farming mechanisms.
Men
7.) Alley Capital Limited, Piwai Chikasha, Zimbabwe
Alley Capital Limited provides high-quality crop spraying services using customized drones through affordable prices and expertise to develop unique in-house systems.
8.) ColdHubs, Bright Benjamin Igbokwe, Nigeria
ColdHubs is a social enterprise that designs, installs and operates 100% solar-powered walk-in cold rooms in outdoor markets and farm clusters, for smallholder farmers, retailers and wholesalers to store and preserve food, extending the shelf life from 2 – 21 days.
9.) Distribution Express (DITEX), Bertin Fokou, Cameroon
Ditex is launching “WhatsNear”, a mobile and web app, to reduce the cost of transporting agricultural products by 50% by helping farmers to find a means of transportation cheaply, reliably, fast, and available close to the pick-up place of their production.
10.) FarmCorps, Job Oyebisi, Nigeria
FarmCorps leverages mobile identity systems, risk analysis and tokenization of funds to enable donors, peer-lenders and micro-finance institutions to easily finance smallholders to purchase of quality farm-inputs.
11.) Ngomalands, Steven Betcha, Democratic Republic of Congo
Ngomalands is a tech-platform that connects owners of uncultivated arable land with people seeking land to rent for agricultural purposes.
12.) Sesi Technologies Limited, Isaac Sesi, Ghana
Sesi Technologies is an Agri-Tech company, tackling poverty and hunger in Sub-Saharan Africa by empowering farmers and businesses along the agricultural value chain with affordable technologies (currently GrainMate and FarmSense) to help reduce losses, increase productivity, yield and profits.
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