Four young African innovators have been named winners of the AYuTe NextGen 2025 competition in Kampala, Uganda, after three days of bold ideas, open dialogue, and live pitches. Organised by Heifer International, AYuTe NextGen is Africa’s leading platform for youth-led AgriTech innovation aimed at transforming small-scale farming and empowering the next generation of agricultural leaders.
Held under the theme ‘AgTech Generation Rising’, this year’s edition gathered emerging innovators, investors, policymakers, and development players from across the continent to spotlight scalable solutions that are revolutionising agriculture, especially for smallholder farmers.
Out of over 100 applications from 10 African countries, 11 finalists were shortlisted to pitch their solutions before a panel of investors and policy experts. Judges assessed entries based on their technological value, impact on smallholder farmers, scalability, team capacity, and overall financial strength.
Winners emerged in two core categories—Climate-Smart Agriculture and Access to Finance and Markets.
In the Climate-Smart Agriculture category, Kenyan entrepreneur Carolyn Mwangi, Founder and CEO of Kimplanter Seedlings and Nurseries, took the top spot for her data-driven model supplying climate-resilient seedlings to smallholder farmers. First runner-up Maryanne Gichanga, CEO of Agritechs Analytics (Kenya), was recognised for solar-powered sensors that alert farmers to pests and help monitor soil health via mobile tools.
In the Access to Finance and Markets category, Ghanaian founder Nana Opoku, CEO of Grow For Me, won with a digital platform that enables individuals to invest in crops grown by farmers, sharing profits after harvest. Nigeria’s Richies Attai, Co-Founder and CEO of Winich Farms, was the runner-up for his end-to-end solution that connects farmers to factories and bundles financial services like credit and insurance.
Reacting to her win, Carolyn Mwangi said, “Winning AYuTe NextGen is not just a milestone for our team, it’s a sign that Africa’s agricultural future will be shaped by innovation, data, and the determination of young entrepreneurs like us.”
Nana Opoku added, “This is a win for smallholder farmers across Ghana. It validates our work and will help unlock new financial pathways to boost income, build resilience, and protect against crop failure.”
AYuTe NextGen is more than a competition—it’s a movement building momentum across Africa’s agriculture sector. Adesuwa Ifedi, Senior Vice President for Africa Programs at Heifer International, noted that more than 2,000 AgriTech startups are active across the continent, many led by youth.
“These young agripreneurs are rewriting Africa’s food story—from how we grow food to how we respond to climate shocks. When youth and technology come together, they become catalysts for transformation,” she said.
In addition to startup pitches, the event hosted compelling youth-led panels, tackling the challenges and prospects in agriculture. Topics included:
Four young African innovators have been named winners of the AYuTe NextGen 2025 competition in Kampala, Uganda, after three days of bold ideas, open dialogue, and live pitches. Organised by Heifer International, AYuTe NextGen is Africa’s leading platform for youth-led AgriTech innovation aimed at transforming small-scale farming and empowering the next generation of agricultural leaders.
Held under the theme ‘AgTech Generation Rising’, this year’s edition gathered emerging innovators, investors, policymakers, and development players from across the continent to spotlight scalable solutions that are revolutionising agriculture, especially for smallholder farmers.
Out of over 100 applications from 10 African countries, 11 finalists were shortlisted to pitch their solutions before a panel of investors and policy experts. Judges assessed entries based on their technological value, impact on smallholder farmers, scalability, team capacity, and overall financial strength.
Winners emerged in two core categories—Climate-Smart Agriculture and Access to Finance and Markets.
In the Climate-Smart Agriculture category, Kenyan entrepreneur Carolyn Mwangi, Founder and CEO of Kimplanter Seedlings and Nurseries, took the top spot for her data-driven model supplying climate-resilient seedlings to smallholder farmers. First runner-up Maryanne Gichanga, CEO of Agritechs Analytics (Kenya), was recognised for solar-powered sensors that alert farmers to pests and help monitor soil health via mobile tools.
In the Access to Finance and Markets category, Ghanaian founder Nana Opoku, CEO of Grow For Me, won with a digital platform that enables individuals to invest in crops grown by farmers, sharing profits after harvest. Nigeria’s Richies Attai, Co-Founder and CEO of Winich Farms, was the runner-up for his end-to-end solution that connects farmers to factories and bundles financial services like credit and insurance.
Reacting to her win, Carolyn Mwangi said, “Winning AYuTe NextGen is not just a milestone for our team, it’s a sign that Africa’s agricultural future will be shaped by innovation, data, and the determination of young entrepreneurs like us.”
Nana Opoku added, “This is a win for smallholder farmers across Ghana. It validates our work and will help unlock new financial pathways to boost income, build resilience, and protect against crop failure.”
AYuTe NextGen is more than a competition—it’s a movement building momentum across Africa’s agriculture sector. Adesuwa Ifedi, Senior Vice President for Africa Programs at Heifer International, noted that more than 2,000 AgriTech startups are active across the continent, many led by youth.
“These young agripreneurs are rewriting Africa’s food story—from how we grow food to how we respond to climate shocks. When youth and technology come together, they become catalysts for transformation,” she said.
In addition to startup pitches, the event hosted compelling youth-led panels, tackling the challenges and prospects in agriculture. Topics included:
- Growing a Unicorn in Agriculture, highlighting how scalable agricultural startups can extend impact continent-wide.
- Same Soil, Many Paths: Africa for Africa, reflecting on how local solutions are built for shared agricultural goals.
- Not Just Founders: Youth as Architects of the Agri-Future, calling for a mindset shift to view youth as system builders.
- Who is Shaping Africa’s Food Story?, demanding bold steps from funders, governments, and institutions.
As the conference wrapped up, a shared message resonated: to transform Africa’s agriculture, all stakeholders must work together. From Nigeria to Kenya, Ghana to Rwanda, participants called on investors to fund early-stage AgriTech, governments to enact enabling policies, the private sector to invest in infrastructure, and mentors to guide startups with technical and market support.
The vision is clear: a food-secure Africa led by its youth, powered by innovation, and anchored by resilient smallholder farmers.
As the conference wrapped up, a shared message resonated: to transform Africa’s agriculture, all stakeholders must work together. From Nigeria to Kenya, Ghana to Rwanda, participants called on investors to fund early-stage AgriTech, governments to enact enabling policies, the private sector to invest in infrastructure, and mentors to guide startups with technical and market support.
The vision is clear: a food-secure Africa led by its youth, powered by innovation, and anchored by resilient smallholder farmers.
