A Kenyan agritech company is among firms awarded for providing technology-driven solutions by young people that seek to transform the agricultural sector.
Silo Africa came second place at the inaugural 2024 AYuTe NextGen gathering in Kigali, Rwanda, under the theme, 'Reimagining Africa’s Agriculture in the Next 50 Years.'
Founded by Eliud Rugut, the company serves smallholder farmers with digitised grain silos which mitigate post-harvest losses, safeguarding the households of smallholder farmers against climate impacts.
The meeting brought together young agritech innovators and agripreneurs from across Africa, as well as stakeholders in the continent’s agriculture and youth development sectors.
AYuTe NextGen is an initiative of Heifer International, a global non-profit working to end hunger and poverty through sustainable agriculture.
Three young agritech entrepreneurs were honoured after winning in a youth-focused competition aimed to spur a tech-led revolution.
Thur Biotech, an Ethiopia-based agritech company founded by Samson Alemu, emerged as the first place winner.
The firm produces sustainable bacterial biofertilisers that can replace chemical fertilisers and offers more efficiency for smallholder farmers while preserving soil quality.
Alemu said he strongly believs that the future of Africa’s agricultural transformation lies with tech-led empowerment of smallholder farmers.
“I have never been more convinced of this than today. Heifer’s support so far has enabled us to build on our innovation and expand operations,” he said.
“With this further validation of the importance of our work, we look to the future with optimism. This win propels us further on the path of sustainably scaling our operations and reaching more smallholder farmers across Africa.”
The third place winner was Extension Africa founded by Tajuddeen Yahaya.
It provides data-driven private extension services using technology to transform rural youth into an agribusiness extension workforce, connecting smallholder farmers at the last mile to global agribusinesses, business advisory and capacity building on sustainable innovative farming methods.
Eric Rwigamba, Rwanda Minister of State for Agriculture and Animal Resources, said that the youth are the future.
“We cannot reimagine the future of Africa’s agriculture without young people or technology,” he said.
“I am inspired by the innovations of all the 15 AYuTe NextGen finalists and I look forward to seeing their impact on the continent. I must also appreciate Heifer International for this important work and congratulate them on their global 80th year anniversary, 50 years of working in Africa and 24 years in Rwanda.”
Presenting the awards to the winners, Surita Sandosham, president and CEO of Heifer International, urged the winners to consider themselves as architects of a transformed agricultural landscape.
“At Heifer International, we are energised by the tremendous potential we see in young African innovators,” she said.
She added that the creativity and dedication to developing cutting-edge solutions that empower smallholder farmers in Africa is exactly what the continent needs to build a more secure and prosperous future.
“We are honoured to play a role in amplifying and scaling their work and look forward to the transformative impact of their innovative ideas on agriculture,” Sandosham said.
Adesuwa Ifedi, Heifer International’s senior vice president of Africa programmes, said the winners illustrate the ingenuity and determination of Africa’s young innovators.
“Through AYuTe Africa NextGen, we are providing the needed funding, capacity, mentorship and networking opportunities that empower these visionaries to translate their ideas into tangible and sustainable solutions that can impact millions of lives,” Ifedi said.