12 Entrepreneurs Jostle for $100,000 GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize

August 30, 2019
12 Entrepreneurs Jostle for $100,000 GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize

By Adedapo Adesanya

Twelve agripreneurs (six men and six women aged 18-35), who are each founders of financially viable ventures in the agri-food sector are set to take part in a live grand finale competition at the Africa Green Revolution Forum in Accra, Ghana as part of the inaugural $100,000 Generation Africa GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize.

The new “Generation Africa” initiative is a continent-wide competition that was launched on May 30, 2019 and will see two out of the 12 innovative ventures in the agri-food sector win $50,000 each in social impact investment as well as mentoring support.

The young entrepreneurs that were shortlisted were selected across Africa from Botswana, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.

The GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize finalists for 2019 are sub-divided into two categories (men and women). In the Women category: Starlin Farah of Ecodudu Limited, Kenya; Leah Bessa of Gourmet Grubb, South Africa; Siny Samba of Le Lionceau, Senegal; Bonolo Monthes of Maungo Craft, Botswana; Affiong Williams of ReelFruit Nigeria, Nigeria; and Lilian Nakigozi of Women Smiles Uganda, Uganda.

The Men category is made up of Piwai Chikasha of Alley Capital Limited, Zimbabwe; Bright Benjamin Igbokwe of ColdHubs, Nigeria; Bertin Fokou of Distribution Express (DITEX), Cameroon; Job Oyebisi of FarmCorps, Nigeria; Steven Betcha of Ngomalands, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Isaac Sesi of Sesi Technologies Limited, Ghana.

The 2019 GoGettaz competition is the flagship project of Generation Africa, a broader partnership initiative of Yara International and Econet Global with an enduring mission is to bring the dynamism of youth entrepreneurship to Africa’s agri-food sector, and to strengthen the ecosystem that supports these entrepreneurs as they travel the challenging journey from ideation to scale.

According to Luis Alfredo Pérez, Head of Business Unit Africa at Yara International, Generation Africa’s vision is to inspire young Africans to become agri-food entrepreneurs and support the development and commercialization of transformative innovations and technologies in the 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.

Also speaking about the prize, Chief of Staff at Econet Global, Dalumuzi Mhlanga said: “Africa’s next generation brings a confident entrepreneurial mindset which, when matched with education, support and investment, will accelerate tech-enabled growth and job creation. Much of this potential lies at the intersection of the agri-food sector and the current technology revolution.”

The two winners will be announced at the AGRF Gala Dinner alongside the winner of this year’s prestigious Africa Food Prize on September 4 in Accra, Ghana.

Adedapo Adesanya

Adedapo Adesanya is a journalist, polymath, and connoisseur of everything art. When he is not writing, he has his nose buried in one of the many books or articles he has bookmarked or simply listening to good music with a bottle of beer or wine. He supports the greatest club in the world, Manchester United F.C.

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