The world got a taste of the future of agriculture in Africa on Tuesday, June 11 when the winners of the 2024 AYuTe Africa NextGen were announced at the inaugural AYuTe NextGen gathering in Kigali, Rwanda.
Three young agritech entrepreneurs were honoured after triumphing in a youth-focused competition aimed to spur a tech-led revolution in Africa’s agriculture:
- 1st: Samson Alemu, THUR BIOTECH, Ethiopia 🇪🇹
Produces biofertilisers that increase efficiency for smallholder farmers and preserve soil quality; - 2nd: Eliud Rugut, Silo Africa, Kenya 🇰🇪
Offers digitized grain silos with IoT-powered aflatoxin and pest detection, preserving grains for up to 10 years without chemicals; - 3rd: Tajudeen Yahaya, Extension Africa, Nigeria 🇳🇬
Connects smallholder farmers to business advisory and capacity-building platforms, promoting sustainable farming to boost yields and livelihoods.
Themed ‘Reimagining Africa’s Agriculture in the Next 50 Years’, AYuTe NextGen 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 (an acronym for Agriculture, Youth, and Technology) is an initiative of Heifer International, a global non-profit working to end hunger and poverty through sustainable agriculture.