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Four promising young entrepreneurs have emerged as winners at the AYuTe NextGen 2025 competition, Africa’s premier platform for youth-led agricultural innovation, hosted by Heifer International in Kampala, Uganda. The three-day event, themed “AgTech Generation Rising,” spotlighted bold solutions shaping the future of agriculture across the continent.
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With over 100 applications from 10 African countries, 11 finalists were selected to pitch innovations that address critical challenges faced by smallholder farmers, ranging from climate resilience to financial inclusion. Finalists competed in two key categories: Climate-Smart Agriculture and Access to Finance and Markets.
Winners Driving Innovation in African Agriculture
- Climate-Smart Agriculture Winner: Carolyn Mwangi, Founder & CEO of Kimplanter Seedlings and Nurseries (Kenya), for her data-driven, climate-resilient seedling enterprise tailored for smallholder farmers.
- Runner-Up: Maryanne Gichanga, CEO of Agritechs Analytics (Kenya), for her solar-powered sensors offering pest alerts and remote farm management tools.
- Access to Finance & Markets Winner: Nana Opoku, CEO of Grow For Me (Ghana), for a platform connecting crop investors to experienced farmers with shared post-harvest profits.
- Runner-Up: Richies Attai, CEO of Winich Farms (Nigeria), for his end-to-end tech solution linking farmers to processors with built-in credit and insurance support.
“This recognition is a sign that Africa’s agricultural future lies in data, innovation, and young entrepreneurs like us,” said Mwangi. Opoku added,
“This win is for smallholder farmers in Ghana and across Africa—it opens financial doors and brings long-term stability.”
Not Just a Competition—A Continent-Wide Movement
AYuTe NextGen 2025 drew participants and delegates from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Senegal, and more, showcasing the depth of Africa’s AgriTech potential. Heifer International’s Adesuwa Ifedi, SVP of Africa Programs, emphasized, “Over 2,000 AgriTech startups are reshaping how we grow food, fight climate change, and build resilient rural economies.”
Youth-led panels focused on:
- “Growing a Unicorn in Agriculture” – scaling high-growth AgriTech solutions
- “Same Soil, Many Paths” – designing locally relevant farming tech
- “Not Just Founders” – positioning youth as system architects
- “Who is Shaping Africa’s Food Story?” – a call to action for funders and policymakers
A Continental Call to Action
The summit concluded with a unified appeal for stakeholders to unlock Africa’s agricultural potential:
- Investors to provide early-stage capital for scalable AgriTech
- Governments to enable policy frameworks for innovation
- Private sector to invest in digital and physical agriculture infrastructure
- Mentors and incubators to provide technical guidance and market access
With the success of AYuTe NextGen 2025, Africa’s youth are not only reimagining the future of farming—they are building it. The event stands as a powerful reminder that innovation, resilience, and technology are at the heart of Africa’s agricultural transformation.
