GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition 2024 winners announced

Moroccan Fatima El Khou, founder and Head of Research and Innovation at Jafife, and Ghanaian Dr Iddi Mohammed Faried, co-founder and CEO of Kodu Technology were named as winners of the 2024 GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition. The grand prize winners each received USD $50,000 to scale their businesses. Jafife uses digitalized solar dryers to transform crops and seafood into long-lasting dried food products and natural dyes. Kodu Technology creates eco-friendly sanitary pads from agricultural waste like banana and plantain fibres. The grand prizes were presented by Arne Cartridge, Senior Advisor and Head of Global Initiatives, Yara International; and Dr Agnes Kalibata, President of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA).

In addition, Agribanana co-founder Salimata Toh (Côte d’Ivoire); Café La Kinoise founder Tisya Mukuna (DR Congo); Rethread Africa founder Charles Oyamo (Kenya); and Sakafo Madagascar founder Riantsoa Mialinarindra (Madagascar) each received an Impact Award of USD $15 000. Each of the remaining 6 finalists received a “Young Catalyst Award” of USD $1,000, recognizing their catalytic contributions to transforming African agrifood systems.

The winners were selected from among 12 finalists hailing from 11 different African countries through a rigorous process. About 2000 applications were received for this year’s competition.

Now in its sixth year, the competition identifies young African founders of high-potential agrifood businesses between the ages of 18 to 35, and supports them with investment, leadership development, mentorship, visibility and partnerships to scale their ventures.

The 2024 winners were selected by a panel of judges comprised of Ada Osakwe, Managing Partner Agrolay Ventures, AGRA Board Member; Luis Alfredo Pérez, Senior Vice President Africa at Yara International; Nana Amoah, Director of Gender, Youth and Inclusiveness at AGRA; Jane Baldwin, Head of Agrifood System for Pan African Programs at Mastercard Foundation; Fina Kasiyambo, Private Sector Development Team Lead at Rwanda’s Economic Growth Office at USAID; and Tchegoun Koba, Global Technical Advisor, Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship at SNV Netherlands Development Organization.

Origins of the competition

Despite 60% of the world's arable land being in Africa, the continent is a big net importer of food. According to the African Development Bank, Africa’s USD $280 billion per year food and agriculture market is projected to increase to USD $1 trillion by 2030. Transforming the agrifood sector in Africa is critical to solving the climate and food security crises globally. The key to this transformation lies in the continent’s young population, with over 60% under the age of 25, and the competition aims to recognize, support and celebrate youth who are innovating and creating jobs and technologies to solve local challenges relating to climate resilience, natural resources, gender equality, rural livelihoods, and nutrition. The founders believe that advances towards precision farming, improved inputs and soil health, technology to strengthen value chains and markets, and investment in agricultural value chains can accelerate the transition.

In 2018, Svein Tore Holsether, President and CEO of Yara International met with Strive Masiyiwa, founder and executive chairman of Econet Global and Cassava Technologies on the sidelines of the African Green Revolution Forum (now known as the AFS Forum). After a discussion on the business opportunities in Africa’s agriculture sector, and the crucial role African youth could play in transforming agriculture and food security, they decided to launch an agripreneur competition aimed at innovative young entrepreneurs operating along the agrifood value chain.

Impact over the years

The competition has evolved into a bigger movement with a mission to grow entrepreneurs and transform the food value chain. The first edition of the competition was held in 2019. Between then and 2023, the campaign to encourage youth to create and leverage opportunities in the agrifood sector has reached millions of young people and created an online GoGettaz community of over 17,500 young African agripreneurs, seeking financial and leadership support. The community provides support and networks, linking members with fellow youth entrepreneurs, mentors, and investors as well as online courses and resources.

Leadership support to date has included The GoGettaz Africa Leadership Program as well as a scholarship to the Master of Business Creation in partnership with the David Eccles School of Business. Through these initiatives, GoGettaz alumni have benefited from developing their business and leadership skills. One GoGettaz alumni, De Novo Foodlabs – has raised USD 4 million in venture capital (VC) funding, including a recent USD $1,5 million round from a US investor. The South African-based startup applies precision fermentation, machine learning, and biopharma knowhow to produce nature-identical proteins.

One of GoGettaz’s biggest impacts is to raise the voices of young African innovators breaking barriers and having an impact. The annual gathering at the AFS Forum facilitates invaluable access to partnerships and collaboration opportunities for the GoGettaz Finalists “We bring 12 young agriprenuers to the continent’s largest agrifood convention where they pitch their businesses, talk with peers, and meet with potential investors and partners to grow their businesses,” says Anu Paasiaro, Director Global Initiatives at Yara. Several GoGettaz alumni have scaled after increased visibility at the Forum, securing financial backing, strategic partnerships or simply confidence in the approach they are taking.

The Forum is also a learning opportunity for the agripreneurs through the numerous simultaneous conversations with industry experts like Yara. This year, Yara’s delegation at the event addressed topics like Growing a Nature-Positive Food Future in Africa, soil health, and regenerative agriculture.

Inspiring grassroots agripreneurs

The competition’s high visibility and vibrant and dynamic message is inspiring millions of agripreneurs at a grassroots level in a topic which has traditionally not appealed to young people, Anu says.

“The selection criteria of the finalists emphasizes not only their innovation, business model, team, impact and market potential, but also the ability to inspire. Judges are looking for that star quality of a “GoGetta” that will inspire many more young people through their personality, energy, and perseverance” she adds. Anu points out winners range from agripreneurs who have returned to Africa from the diaspora to pursue business opportunities, to innovators building ventures in smaller markets based on traditional methods and plants.

The diverse range of ventures identified through the competition - from businesses focused on hydroponics, startups developing AI-driven precision farming solutions, to social impact ventures recycling of agricultural waste to produce biodegradable packaging solutions - are testament to the potential African youth have to transform the continent’s agrifood sector.