Nigerian firm, two others win Heifer youth tech challenge
Heifer International has announced the 2022 winners of the AYuTe Africa Challenge that supports agritech innovators with ThriveAgric of Nigeria, Kenya’s DigicCow and Bostwana-based Brastorne Enterprises at the top. ThriveAgric is a fast-growing start-up boosting farmer incomes and production with its breakthrough “agriculture operating system.” DigiCow is an agritech firm using digital tools to modernize […]
Heifer International has announced the 2022 winners of the AYuTe Africa Challenge that supports agritech innovators with ThriveAgric of Nigeria, Kenya’s DigicCow and Bostwana-based Brastorne Enterprises at the top.
ThriveAgric is a fast-growing start-up boosting farmer incomes and production with its breakthrough “agriculture operating system.”
DigiCow is an agritech firm using digital tools to modernize production on small-scale dairy farms, while the digital technology for feature phones developed by Brastorne Enterprises is narrowing Africa’s rural digital divide.
“At a time when Africa is facing unprecedented food-related challenges, it is incredibly inspiring to see these young African champions firmly focused on an agriculture-led future that provides farmers with the innovations they need to succeed,” said Adesuwa Ifedi, senior vice president of Africa Programs, Heifer International. “We launched this competition in 2021, challenging African youths to bring us innovations poised to provide the positive disruption our farmers urgently need. ThriveAgric, DigiCow and Brastorne are more than ready to meet the moment,” she noted.
As winners of the 2022 AYuTe Africa Challenge, the three companies will receive a sizable monetary investment: $1.5 million in grants, along with ongoing support from a team of expert advisers—accomplished business veterans—to help them translate their funding into an aggressive expansion strategy.
All three of the 2022 winners are helping African farmers by providing a novel solution to everyday obstacles.
ThriveAgric addresses a key challenge for small-scale farmers in Africa—a lack of access to finance, technical advice, business skills and market opportunities. It does so by using a proprietary Agriculture Operating System to help a team of 2,000 field agents support some 500,000 farmers across 22 Nigerian states with insights to improve their production and profits.
“We’ve developed the technologies, strategies and partnerships we believe can build the largest network of productive, profitable farmers Africa has ever seen,” said Uka Eje, Thrive Agric’s co-founder and CEO.
Working with rural communities across Africa for 48 years, Heifer International supports farmers and local food producers to strengthen local economies and build secure livelihoods that provide a living income.