ThriveAgric would provide farmers with irrigation facilities, drought-resistant input, access to technology, storage, and premium markets to help optimise output in this farming cycle. The flag-off was announced at an event in Jigawa state, Nigeria.

The event brought together various stakeholders including financial institutions, government officials, farmers, and representatives of the farming communities from Jigawa, Bauchi, and Kano.

Conversations centred on the challenges and opportunities of crop cultivation during the dry season.

Participants shared valuable insights on optimising crop yields, implementing effective water management, and developing coping mechanisms for the drought conditions often associated with this period.

Smallholder farmers encounter challenges during the dry season, stretching from August to September in the South of Nigeria and September to April in the North.

With sparse rainfall and high temperatures, dry-season farming is extremely dependent on irrigation – access to water sources and drought-resistant seeds become crucial, affecting food security. According to the World Bank, only 1 percent of Nigeria’s agriculture is irrigated, and expanding and optimising irrigation infrastructure is key to increasing sectoral productivity.

Speaking on the significance of the dry season to Nigeria’s agriculture, Oshone Anavhe, vice president, Operations at ThriveAgric said,

“In Sub-Saharan Africa, approximately 95% of food production relies on rainfed agriculture. The dry season however remains mostly under-utilised for farming due to the absence of necessary infrastructure and widespread unavailability of drought-resistant inputs. For this 2023/2024 farming cycle,  ThriveAgric is leveraging partnerships to impart thousands of smallholder farmers, especially those in the wheat, rice and maize value chain, by providing them with access to technology, irrigation facilities, drought-resistant input and premium markets. If harnessed at national scale, dry season farming has the potential to jumpstart food sufficiency in Nigeria, therefore we call on the government to invest in enabling infrastructure that would in turn attract investors and engage more farmers for dry season farming.”

Matthew Omega, Regional Manager, Sterling Bank commented,

“We believe in the transformative power of agriculture to drive economic growth and sustainability. Our collaboration with ThriveAgric exemplifies our commitment to providing innovative and accessible financial solutions for farmers. By joining forces, we aim to empower smallholder farmers, and the agricultural communities, promote responsible financial practices, and cultivate a future where prosperity and sustainability co-exist.”

In line with its mission to build the largest network of profitable farmers, over the years, ThriveAgric has utilised strategic partnerships with both private and government institutions to implement initiatives that directly improve the social condition and economic prospects of hundreds of thousands of smallholder farmers in Nigeria.

By providing farmers with access to irrigation facilities during the dry season, ThriveAgric farmers are able to 2x or 3x their regular yield thereby increasing their profitability, positively impacting their standard of living while also boosting food security in the country.

The post ThriveAgric Targets 100,000 Farmers for 2023/2024 Dry Season Farming Cycle appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

The 2-day event brought together some of Nigeria’s most influential players in technology including startup founders, policy makers, ecosystem enablers and high-powered government officials, to discuss the challenges, innovations and opportunities for technology in the region.

Hosted at the Peachvine Marquee, Abuja, with more than 500 people in total attendance, industry experts discussed collaborative technology for community impact, sustainable technology and impact investing, as well as Talents: nurturing the next generation of innovators, among other content tracks.

Notable thought leaders including Akintunde Akinwande; Head, Business Development & Digital Projects for Nigeria, OCP Africa, Oluwatomi Ayorinde; CEO, Payforce by FairMoney & Cynthia E. Chisom; VP, Ecosystem & Venture Labs, Spark Africa HQ, set the ball rolling in an engaging panel on the need for collaboration in the ecosystem.

Other highlights of the 2-day event were keynotes, breakout sessions, product showcases and a techathon where young tech talents walked away with prizes.

In his opening keynote address, Senator Isa Yuguda, former governor of Bauchi State called on the government to channel more investment into the agriculture sector in areas like technology and infrastructure to address the problem of food insecurity and hunger.

He further stated that the revitalisation of the country’s river basins and construction of more dams will immensely drive this. Echoing the ex-governor’s position on the role of technology, Akintunde Akinwade, Head, Business Development and Digital Projects of OCP Africa, said, the Abuja Tech Converge will showcase the potential of technology in reshaping the future of agriculture which will engender sustainable communities.

Delivering his welcome address that set the tone for the day, Uka Eje, CEO, ThriveAgric and conveners of the Abuja Tech Converge said,

“The aim of this conference is to demystify the agriculture sector as a legitimate, inclusive and viable economic sector and to trigger a movement of new recruits and believers. We want to make the sector more attractive and champion a different system of collaborative agriculture that actively embraces different groups of people – rural and urban youths, technology enthusiasts and innovators, local investors, regulators and all levels of government so we can build the country of our dreams.”

Also at the event, ThriveAgric unveiled the first set of graduating interns in their Tech-Talent Accelerated Programme (TAP). The six-month programme launched in May this year, is designed to support young tech enthusiasts looking to achieve their dreams in the ever-evolving world of technology.

Over 4000 applications were received however only 20 candidates were admitted into the intensive programme where the successful participants were upskilled in core technical areas including frontend development, backend development, and product (UI/UX) design.

The closing activity was a techathon sponsored by OCP Africa whereby a cash prize of two million naira was awarded to a group of 4 interns who designed a healthcare solution capable of providing personalised healthcare services to patients.

The runner up groups walked away with one million naira and 500,000 naira each for building a recruitment solution and a customised learning solution respectively.

Other winners from this year’s TAP cohort are Aneminyene John-Prince, Caleb Owatah and Caleb Ali who emerged overall best students winning N500,000, N300,000 and 200,000 naira respectively.

Speaking on the goal behind the Tech-Talent Accelerated Programme (TAP), Favour Eze, Head of People and Culture at ThriveAgric, said,

“The growing demand for tech talents in the ecosystem has led ThriveAgric to build a specialised program that fosters a diverse pool of talented professionals prepared to tackle key industry challenges both within the agri-tech industry and other sectors. Our biggest impact is that we’ve transformed participating interns into skilled professionals. This new level of expertise has resulted in 7 of the 20 participants being offered employment opportunities both internally and with our program partners, as well as another 5 graduated interns who are currently undergoing recruitment processes by other organisations. This is a step in empowering African youth to achieve their career dreams.”

According to African Development Bank, if youth unemployment rates remain unchanged, nearly 50% of young people (excluding students) will be unemployed, or economically inactive by 2025. Equally, the United Nations has estimated that digital technology will account for over 90 percent of available global jobs by 2030.

By training and upskilling local tech talent with essential tools to kick start their careers via TAP, ThriveAgric is addressing the existing skills gap within the technology industry in Africa while building a pipeline of quality talents for the global market.

This is aligned with events like Abuja Tech Converge where ThriveAgric is driving knowledge exchange between industry leaders, investors, mentors, and other stakeholders within the startup sector, while also creating an ideal opportunity for young tech talents to interact and connect with industry professionals towards building a sustainable economic future for the continent.

The post ThriveAgric TechXcelerate: Industry Experts Call for More Collaboration within the Startup Ecosystem appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

The initiative which aims to empower 125,000 smallholder farmers with financial inclusion access, further reiterates the company’s mission to build the largest network of profitable farmers across Africa while ensuring food security on the continent.

Over the next twelve months, ThriveAgric and its technical partners will facilitate the opening of bank accounts for 125,000 smallholder farmers across 8 northern states including Adamawa, Gombe, Yobe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, and Bauchi, giving them access to debit cards and other various financial services.

The Project will be in fulfilment of winning the 2022 edition of the annual Agriculture, Youth and Technology (AYuTe) Africa Challenge, an initiative of Heifer International.

In addition to employing over 200 young people to execute this project, ThriveAgric will also be providing 1,000 Point of Sale (POS) devices to selected Nigerian youths to boost and provide additional income to their families.

According to the EFInA Access to Financial Services Survey 2020, only 51% of Nigerian adults use formal financial services with women being continuously more excluded than men.

The report particularly highlights that large gaps in financial access remain for some of Nigeria’s most financially excluded groups with adults in Northern Nigeria significantly more financially excluded than those in the South of Nigeria.

Of this group, rural adults are even more excluded than those in urban areas and this translates to very limited access to funding or funding options.

ThriveAgric will therefore be approaching this project with a gender lens to ensure that at least 40% of the targeted beneficiaries in the 8 northern states of Nigeria, including smallholder farmers, POS operators and project employees are women.

Speaking on the company’s vision behind the AYuTe Project, Ayodeji Arikawe, Co-Founder at ThriveAgric, said:

“At ThriveAgric, our driving force has always been to empower smallholder farmers for a dignified livelihood. By connecting smallholder farmers to the formal financial economy, we are positioning them for better access to finance, credit, digital services and introducing them to the formal economy which has numerous other benefits in the long run. We are excited about this initiative we’re undertaking with Heifer International through the AYuTe Africa Challenge, and for the long term impact of this strategic partnership with VISA towards the creation of job opportunities, financial and social inclusion. Our unwavering commitment to positively impact smallholder farmers and their immediate communities across Africa will become even more evident through this project, as we power towards our goal of developing the largest network of profitable farmers in Africa.”

Last year, ThriveAgric emerged as the West African winners of the annual AYuTe Africa Challenge, receiving a $1m grant prize as reward. Organised by Heifer International, the Agriculture Youth Technology (AYuTe) Challenge was set up to support young entrepreneurs working to scale food security on the continent by developing and deploying affordable tech solutions to impact smallholder farmers. In addition to the cash grants, Heifer International also deploys a team of expert advisers and accomplished business veterans to support AYuTe Africa Champions as they translate this funding into business expansion strategies.

According to the Country Director of Heifer International, Rufus Idris, “Inadequate access to financial services is a key barrier limiting smallholder farmers from improving farming practices, adopting innovation and increasing their production outputs. We are excited about this opportunity to not only invest in ThriveAgric’s solutions but to scale up an agritech innovation that confronts financial inclusion challenges facing smallholder farmers in Nigeria”.

Access to funding remains one of the biggest challenges confronting smallholder farmers in Africa. According to WillAgri, only 10% of farmers have access to credit in rural areas across Sub-Saharan Africa.

By facilitating account opening, distribution of bank cards and setting up POS operators in the rural northern communities, ThriveAgric will be increasing access to formal financial services through digital tools thereby driving financial inclusion, a key promoter of access to finance and markets for more smallholder farmers.

Key partnerships with companies like Visa to reach the most financially excluded groups, a lot of whom are smallholder farmers, demonstrates how ThriveAgric will be leveraging strategic partnerships to attain the company’s ambition of providing $500 million in credit to 10 million smallholder farmers across Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya by 2027.

Commenting on the innovative move, Ayodeji Alabi, Fintech Lead at Visa Inc. West Africa said, “We wish ThriveAgric well with this initiative to onboard over 125,000 farmers on the Financial Inclusion drive in Nigeria. With ThriveAgric as winners of the Visa Everywhere Initiative in 2022, they have our full support in this to facilitate payment solutions towards ensuring that underserved communities are banked.”

The AYuTe Project is yet another step in the right direction for ThriveAgric, as the company accelerates towards its goal of building an Africa that feeds itself.

The post ThriveAgric, Heifer Int’l Partner to Provide 125,000 Smallholder Farmers with Access to Finance appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

The startup also won the Audience Favorite award.

The finale was hosted on September 19 during TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco, CA where this year’s VEI finalists pitched their payment solution to an esteemed panel of judges.

As a vital component of the program, Visa has made its network available to drive inclusive economic growth with the goal of giving everyone, everywhere, access to the global economy.

Notably, minority-owned businesses have tripled after the pandemic, introducing new ideas for the fintech space.

The 2023 VEI program saw a significant uptick in diverse applicants, with women-led businesses representing nearly half of this year’s entrants.

Last year, ThriveAgric, another Nigerian startup that provides smallholder farmers access to finance, insights, and distribution was crowned the 2022 winner of VEI.

VEI is an open innovation program and competition for start-ups and fintech companies, targeted at solving the payment challenges of tomorrow through innovation.

The post Nigerian Startup, Drugstoc, Wins Global Visa Everywhere Initiative 2023 appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

In the year under review, the Nigeria-founded company scaled its operations into neighbouring Ghana, and Kenya in East Africa amongst other feats.

Key highlights of ThriveAgric’s 2022 annual impact report include:

• Connecting with 514,000+ smallholder farmers in more than 2900 communities 
• Pilot operations in 5 regions of Ghana and 6 counties in Kenya 
• Invested over $100 million in financing
• Produced 1.5 million+ metric tonnes of grains
• 153.3% year-on-year increase in the number of women impacted
• 80% increase in youth impact in communities

To accomplish these groundbreaking milestones, the fast-growing agricultural company leveraged its proprietary technology and key partnerships with governments and global institutions including the Ghana Commodity Exchange (GCX), Promasidor (Kenya) Limited, VISA, and OCP Africa. 

Samirah Bello, Partnership Lead at ThriveAgric said: “At ThriveAgric, we remain committed as an impact-driven and customer-focused company. Through our strategic partnerships, we have been able to accelerate impact and reach meaningful milestones while tackling barriers confronting smallholder farmers in their day-to-day business. This report is an expansion of our 2017–2021 impact report, and we are proud to say that we have built a tech-driven agricultural enterprise that will eventually help feed both Africa, and the rest of the world.”

Speaking on the social impact, Uka Eje, CEO and co-founder of ThriveAgric said: “In addition to the social benefits such as reducing poverty and improving gender equality, smallholder farmers that work with ThriveAgric produce double the national average yields due to access to better quality seeds, fertilisers and equipment. At ThriveAgric, we will continue to adopt a multifaceted approach that includes collaboration between various stakeholders, increased investment, technology adoption, and sustainable agricultural practices. Our 2022 impact report is a testament that we are on the right track.” 

Access to funding remains one of the biggest challenges confronting smallholder farmers in Africa. According to the Africa Development Bank (AfDB), agri-SMEs in Africa are critically underfunded with an annual financing gap of approximately $100 billion.ThriveAgric is bridging this gap by providing input financing, providing data-led advisory to improve output, enhancing supply chain efficiency, and encouraging sustainable agricultural practices with the aim of building a network of profitable smallholder farmers and contributing to a food secure Africa.

Leaning into its Theory of Change (highlighted in the impact report), ThriveAgric aims to provide $500 million in credit to 10 million smallholder farmers across Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya in 2027, and to double this outcome by 2050. 

The company will also be working with organisations who leverage its Agricultural operating Software (AOS) to provide access to loans for their farmers, and is currently onboarding partners. With food security projected by the UN to rise to a record 310 million Africans by 2030, ThriveAgric has planned expansions into Tanzania, Egypt and Zambia to alleviate the potential impact. 

ThriveAgric’s 2022 impact report is now available for download here

The post ThriveAgric Empowers 500k+ Smallholder Farmers to Scale Food Production in Africa appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

When Adioo Technology introduced Jebota in 2022, it entered a sector facing structural inefficiencies.

Agriculture contributes close to a trillion dollars to Africa’s GDP and supports more than 60 percent of the population, yet nearly half of harvested crops never reach consumers. Weak logistics, fragmented supply chains, and unreliable market access keep smallholder farmers locked into cycles of waste and low income.

Nigeria highlights the urgency. As West Africa’s largest economy, it produces a quarter of the region’s agricultural output, but post-harvest losses in some regions exceed 40 percent, draining billions from the economy each year.

Startups such as Farmcrowdy and ThriveAgric have drawn investor attention, but the wider sector continues to struggle with scale, infrastructure gaps, and digital exclusion. The lack of digital access makes the problem worse.

Only a small share of farmers use data tools to guide planting or sales. Rural internet coverage is increasing but remains inconsistent, leaving many communities outside e- commerce and financial systems. Millions of producers remain excluded from modern trade.

Jebota was created to address these gaps. Adioo Technology built it as a digital entity that adapts with each transaction, combining market access, predictive analytics, logistics, and secure payments into one platform.

Farmers can sell produce directly to buyers, bypassing intermediaries and keeping a greater share of their earnings.

The platform’s AI-driven seasonality engine improves forecasts for planting and harvesting, aligning production with real demand and reducing waste. Dashboards give farmers visibility into market conditions, helping them sell faster and negotiate on equal terms. Integrated logistics reduce spoilage by coordinating transport and storage, while escrow-backed mobile payments ensure security for both parties and give unbanked farmers access to formal finance.

The impact was clear in the first year. Farmers reported average income gains of 30 percent. More than 60,000 tons of food were saved from waste across pilot regions.

Rural internet penetration in participating communities increased by 12 percent within 18 months, and agricultural e-commerce adoption grew 40 percent faster than in comparable areas.

By 2023, agritech investment in Africa had risen by 77 percent, with Jebota cited as evidence that the sector was ready to scale.

Experts view this as a long-overdue shift.

“Post-harvest losses in Nigeria remain among the highest in the world,” said Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, president of the African Development Bank. “Digital platforms that connect farmers directly to markets while improving logistics and finance are exactly what the sector needs.”

Broader regional trends support this momentum. Sub-Saharan Africa is experiencing one of the fastest increases in mobile internet adoption globally.

By 2028, nearly half of the population is expected to be online, compared with less than a third in 2018. Digital finance is also expanding rapidly.

Kenya’s M-Pesa set the precedent, while Nigeria’s Paga and OPay now process millions of daily transactions. Jebota builds on these developments by embedding secure payments and turning farm activity into trade data that can be used across the system.

The platform’s influence is extending beyond farmers. Governments in pilot regions are drawing on Jebota’s aggregated data for food security planning.

Investors highlight it as one of the most advanced AI-powered trade solutions in emerging markets. “We’ve seen strong interest in agritech in recent years, but what sets Jebota apart is its integration of data and payments,” said Lagos-based investor Adaeze Okonkwo. “That combination makes it scalable across borders.”

This marks a turning point in how African agriculture is understood. For decades, it has been defined by risks such as dependence on rainfall, climate shocks, and inadequate infrastructure. Jebota demonstrates that agriculture can be data-driven, investable, and resilient. Its structure is central to this shift.

By combining AI, analytics, logistics, and finance into a single framework, Jebota strengthens with every transaction. Smallholder farmers become participants in a digital economy, and the value of the network grows as more users join.

Adioo Technology now aims to expand Jebota beyond Africa. Similar inefficiencies exist in Asia and Latin America, where food waste and opaque supply chains limit growth. A scalable, data-driven platform could reset how agriculture functions in those regions as well.

The implications are far-reaching. Reducing food waste strengthens national food security. Secure payments expand financial inclusion.

Transparent data improves government planning and investor confidence. Benefits flow from farmers to consumers and across economies.

For Nigeria, the stakes are immediate. Stronger logistics, transparent markets, and access to digital finance could lift millions of farmers into the digital economy. For Africa and other emerging markets, Jebota signals a new standard where agriculture is shaped by intelligence rather than inefficiency.

What began as a local response to a structural challenge has become a model with global relevance. In under two years, Jebota has moved from pilot to proof of concept to a platform symbolising Africa’s ability to export not only agricultural produce but digital infrastructure that meets international standards.

The post Coding a Pan-African Digital Entity: How Jebota Rewired Agriculture appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

Organized by Heifer International, the Agriculture Youth Technology (AYuTe) Challenge was set up to support young entrepreneurs working to scale food security on the continent by developing and deploying affordable tech solutions to impact smallholder farmers.

This recognition is the second in the last three months for ThriveAgric, having emerged as the overall winner and Visa Direct winner of the global Visa Everywhere Initiative 2022 last December. Live Streamed on TechCrunch, the intense 12-month competition had over 4000 startup founders from North America, Latin America, Central Europe, Middle East and Africa, Europe, and Asia Pacific to showcase payments innovations.

For six years, through technology, ThriveAgric has built a network of over 500,000 smallholder farmers, giving them access to insight, distribution, and over $150 million in credit, thereby improving their livelihoods and enabling them to grow more than 5 percent of grains consumed in Nigeria.

Speaking on the achievements, Uka Eje, CEO and Co-Founder at ThriveAgric said, “These endorsements are an encouraging validation of the hard work we have put in through the years and pointers that we are on the right path. Our desire to create more impact among smallholder farmers and expand to new territories is a major driving force for us, as we aim to develop the largest network of profitable farmers in Africa. We remain committed to our goal of reaching one million farmers this year in Nigeria alone.”

The AYuTe Africa Challenge is one of the most ambitious agriculture competitions on the continent, with a vision of combining the power of African youth with the many possibilities of emerging technologies to support smallholder farmers across Africa to grow their businesses and incomes. In addition to the cash grants, it also deploys a team of expert advisers and accomplished business veterans to support AYuTe Africa Champions as they translate this funding into business expansion strategies.

Agriculture in Africa has a massive social and economic footprint. According to McKinsey, agriculture makes up about 23 percent of sub-Saharan Africa’s GDP with more than 60 percent of the population being smallholder farmers. With demand increasing and supply shortfall, smallholder farmers are battling new levels of economic and ecological challenges in farming.

Last year, months of torrential flooding in Nigeria damaged over 400,000 hectares of farmlands, leading to an all-time high food inflation of 21 percent in the country. In Kenya, East Africa, a prolonged and most severe drought undercut farmers’ ability to grow crops, or raise livestock resulting in acute food insecurity for over 3.5 million people, manifesting in starvation and malnutrition.

Part of ThriveAgric’s work is to ensure that infrastructural buffers are in place to mitigate against extreme conditions that may threaten smallholders’ livelihoods or a nation’s food security.

Having recorded great success in Nigeria, ThriveAgric is looking to deepen its roots in West Africa as well as expand to the East of the continent as part of its goal to reach 10 million farmers by 2027

The post ThriveAgric Wins $1m as Regional Winners of 2022 AYuTe Africa Challenge appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

The 2022 AYuTe Africa Challenge winners include ThriveAgric from Nigeria, Kenya’s DigiCow and Botwana-based Brastorne Enterprises.

ThriveAgric is a fast-growing startup 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 sizeable monetary investment: a total of $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.

This is part of Heifer International’s commitment to support young entrepreneurs developing affordable tech innovations as they work to scale their businesses. Doing so makes new services and technologies available to African farmers to overcome long-standing challenges while attracting a new generation to unlock the huge potential of agriculture on the continent.

All three of the 2022 AYuTe Africa Challenge 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.

“ThriveAgric’s 500,000 farmers are already producing and earning much more than the average Nigerian farmer. Investors are responding to our potential and this prestigious award from Heifer International will accelerate our plans to expand across the continent.”

DigiCow is helping small-scale African dairy operations increase productivity with technology that provides free access to livestock management experts and links farmers to skilled and qualified veterinarians, artificial insemination providers and feed supply services—all from their mobile phones.

“I grew up watching my mom struggle to get our cows to produce enough milk, and I’ve spent 15 years working with small-scale dairy farmers, so I know the challenges farmers face,” said Peninah Wanja, Co-founder of Nairobi-based DigiCow. “That’s why it’s been so exciting to see 60,000 farmers—many of them women—now using our DigiCow apps to become more profitable and productive. With this new support from Heifer International, I’m confident we can expand our reach to help small-scale dairy farmers across the continent.”

Brastorne’s apps, such as mAgri, give farmers access to farming information, markets and short-term finance using the capabilities of any feature phone, such as SMS and interactive voice technology. The Brastorne mobile service Mpotsa (“Ask me”) provides rural unconnected mobile users with localized information, and Vuka harnesses USSD technology to allow users on any phone to create profiles, add friends, create chat groups, and more.

These technologies have helped farmers realize a 250% increase in yields and achieve 85% savings in communication and information access. The company also boasts 100% youth employment.

“About 80% of Africans cannot afford smartphones or expensive data — but they do have feature phones, and Brastorne is ensuring those phones connect farmers, youth and women to the resources they need,” said Martin Stimela, co-founder and CEO of Brastorne. “We look forward to working with Heifer International to connect the rural poor with equitable access to markets, information and community.”

The post 2022 AYuTe Africa Challenge: ThriveAgric, DigiCow, Brastorne emerge as Winners appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

This is in terms of decentralization of raw materials for production, limited financial access, inadequate equipment and many more challenges.

Today, our spotlight shines brightly on some Agritech startups with known records of working to ensure the Agricultural sector thrives in Nigeria, with both farmers, consumers and all stakeholders benefiting from their efforts. 

Not limited to these, they include:

1. ThriveAgric

ThriveAgric is one of the interesting Agritech startups that provides finance to smallholder farmers, but doesn’t stop there. The startup provides them with the best practices needed for their businesses to scale, including access to sell to local and global markets, putting food security at the fore. How nice…

Having onboarded over 400,000 farmers, ThriveAgric has enabled the production and trading of 800,000+ grains, with more than 400,000 hectares of land cultivated. An intriguing aspect is that it has created over 9,000 jobs, helping reduce the big issue of unemployment in Nigeria.

From production to financing, processing and consumption, ThriveAgric’s got the agricultural sector.

2. Releaf

Just yesterday, Releaf raised $3.3 million pre-Series A round and this was to deepen its stand even more as one of the leading Agritech startups in its focus sector. 

Over the last few years, Releaf has built high-end technology — including Kraken — to solve the agricultural problems in Nigeria. The startup keeps finding ways to make these technologies better. 

With the pre-Series A fund raises, it seeks to launch even more products such as Kraken II, which is mobile and more affordable than the initial palm nut de-sheller, eliminating over 80% of margin-eroding costs. The startup will also launch SITE, a geospatial mapping application that discloses food processing assets.

Not limited to the above, Releaf also provides capital to farmers and food factories, helping the purchase require tools and ensure the seamless running of their day-to-day operations.

3. Agricorp

Agricorp is majorly focused on spice production and exportation, with the healthy ginger being a major. Following its success over the years, seeing a 400% capacity growth just within three years of existence, the startup expanded its focus to include poultry production, processing and distribution. 

Its semi-mechanized processing facility located in Kaduna can be used to process over 5,000MT of ginger annually. The startup provides employment opportunities to a large population from all classes and supports farmers financially and in other areas.

Its medium-scale 0.5MT/hour integrated spices processing equipment is used in the production of clean fresh ginger, dried ginger, ginger powder, dehydrated garlic powder, chilli powder, dehydrated onion powder, and lime powder.

4. Vendease

Vendease founders — Wale Oyepeju, Tunde Kara, Olumide Fayankin and Gatumi Aliyu 

Vendease is an Agritech startup that breaks barriers in the supply chain between food businesses like restaurants and farmers/manufacturers. 

How does this work? The startup leverages a technology where customers can place orders, and all possible suppliers are shown. The system assigns the order to the supplier with the best pricing and quality, with delivery within 24 hours. The good thing is that all supplies can be gotten from a single source.

Vendease will handle all your procurement without fear of disappointment and also provide analytics to help users track spends. To provide better services, it has built a series of stacks including logistics, storage, payments, inventory management, embedded finance. Users can buy now and opt to pay within 14 days.

5. Hello Tractor

Just as the name implies, Hello Tractor connects tractor owners to smallholder farmers, providing income to the owners and enabling farmers carry out related activities effectively, thereby enhancing production yield.

The startup also ensures the tracking and management of the tractor fleet remotely, with bookings managed via mobile and web applications. So there’s no fear of losing your tractor. 

Interestingly, the startup also helps users access innovative pay-as-you-go financing, helping them grow their own fleet. 

6. Farmcrowdy

Sustainability being its goal, Farmcrowdy provides the means for key players in the food value chain to maximum output and yield “untapped profits” and provides more efficient food distribution channels.

Farmcrowdy also makes life easy for farmers to an extent, providing finances needed for growth, a major issue faced in the sector.

Its tech-enabled B2B retail platform, FC Shops helps small retailers source their inventory, accessing a wide variety of FMCG goods at wholesale prices, while its FC Foods is a one-stop digital marketplace for trading raw agro-products, inputs and commodities.

7. Zowasel

Making it easy for traders to access local and international markets, as well as credit to finance, Zowasel offers easy, fast accessible technology to increase farmers’ productivity, provide quality crops and increase revenues.

The startup leverages data science and artificial intelligence to facilitate its efforts, helping smallholder farmers from seed planting stage to market reach.

In its endeavors to provide finances for farmers, Zowasel has partnered with several financial institutions including VBank and SimpliFi, and has collaborated with several organizations to facilitate affordable agricultural machinery for smallholder farmers.

8. Afrimash

Afrimash specializes in sales of agricultural products. It is a digital marketplace which helps farmers reach maximum profitability. 

The sustainability and profitability driven Agritech startup connects farmers to quality inputs and helps them build their digital identities to enable better access to financial support. It also provides access to consultants via mobile channels or online to improve productivity.

To achieve its goal, the startup has partnered with manufacturers, importers, and wholesalers of quality items to create a marketplace where they sell their products to farmers. Its secure payment systems stimulates the delivery of ordered items directly to farmers wherever they are in Nigeria.

The post Top AgriTech Startups to Watch in 2023 appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

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Thrive Agric, a fintech providing smallholder farmers access to finance, insights and distribution was crowned 2022 winner of the Visa Everywhere Initiative (VEI) – a global open innovation program and competition for start-ups and fintech companies. Thrive Agric is also the winner of the Visa Direct award for its role in shaping the future of money movement in Nigeria.

Taking place in Qatar alongside the FIFA World Cup 2022, the global finale was preceded by a year-long competition that saw more than 4,000 entrepreneurs across the world entering innovative ideas to solve the payment challenges of tomorrow.

In addition to the overall winner, the following prizes were awarded:

• 2^nd place: Zeti, a fintech enabling pay per use financing of sustainable transport.
• 3^rd place and Audience Favourite: Huli, a platform that connects patients, doctors, and other healthcare services.

“This year, more than 4,000 fintechs participated in the global Visa Everywhere Initiative, including a record 1,130 applications from Central Europe, Middle East and Africa,” said Andrew Torre, Regional President for CEMEA, Visa. “A new fintech generation is transforming the way consumers and businesses make payments, making it easier for more people to access and move money when they need it. We congratulate Ayo and all the winners in this year’s competition, and we look forward to continue partnering with fintechs to solve the payments challenges of tomorrow”.

Ruben Salazar, Senior Vice President and global head of Visa Direct, said: “As we strive to create more ways for people, SMBs, and larger businesses to participate in the global economy, the VEI competition provides a unique insight on how fintech are helping shape the future of money movement and expanding access to underserved markets and regions. Today’s Visa Direct Award winner will have access to modern tools and teams that help enable global money movement to billions of endpoints worldwide¹.”

The event brought together Visa and industry thought leaders and a previous Visa Everywhere Initiative winner to celebrate the innovative fintechs and their solutions. Wade Arnold, founder and CEO of Moov Financial and 2021 Visa Everywhere Initiative North America and Global winner returned as a judge, with special guest Visa’s Dr. Saeeda Jaffar hosting a fireside chat with football legend Marcel Desailly.

Ayo Arikawe, Co-Founder of ThriveAgric and now winner of both the global and the CEMEA competitions, delivered his pitch on how his sfintech is enabling strategic partnerships with financial institutions and agriculture value chain players to provide smallholders with financial services, agriculture inputs, extension, market linkage, e-commerce, and payment services.

“As a central part of the Nigerian economy, agriculture is the livelihood and main source of income for many of our people. The hard work we’ve put into ThriveAgric will ensure that technology is leveraged to empower farmers across the country. To not only win the CEMEA regional VEI competition but also pitch at the final here in Qatar gives me great confidence in our ability to scale our solutions and continue to enrich farmers’ lives,” said Ayo Arikawe.

The global final of the Visa Everywhere Initiative was livestreamed on TechCrunch and can be viewed on its website here.

Meet the finalists of the Visa Everywhere Initiative:

Ayo Arikawe of Thrive Agric (Central Europe, Middle East and Africa) – Providing small holder farmers access to finance, insight and distribution.

Ayo co-founded Thrive Agric a platform that connects farmers to finance, best practices and market. Since launching in June 2017 they have worked with over 250,000 farmers across 23 states in Nigeria. Thrive also opens up its platform to financial service providers, insurers, lenders which allows them to access data from the farmers and share value among each other.

Thrive’s farmers grow 7% of the maize consumed in Nigeria. Ayo is an Alumni of Ycombinator and Google Launchpad. He was Top 10 in Jack Ma African Netpreneur Prize and a YTech 100 recipient by the Future Awards Africa.

Mriganka Pattnaik of Mriganka Pattnaik of Merkle Science (Asia Pacific) – Merkle Science is the next generation predictive Web3 risk & intelligence platform

Merkle Science is the next generation Web3 risk mitigation, compliance and forensics platform. They work with crypto and DeFi businesses, blockchain bridges, NFT players, retailers, financial institutions, insurers and government agencies around the globe. Their focus on multi-chain and liquidity pool analysis, real-time transaction monitoring and predictive and machine learning-driven analytics provides our clients with best-in-class solutions and enables Web3’s safe and healthy growth.

Dan Saunders of Zeti (Europe) – Fintech enabling pay per use financing of sustainable transport

Zeti helps organisations adopt zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) by making it as simple, easy and transparent as paying for a utility.

Powered by real-time data, Zeti’s software improves the financial viability of ZEVs for organisations, generates attractive returns for financiers, and helps manufacturers to sell their vehicles.

Christine De Wendel of Sunday (North America) – The fastest digital payment for restaurants and the industry’s future

Christine de Wendel is co-founder and CEO NOAM of Sunday. Prior to this, she was Chief Operating Officer of ManoMano, one of France’s fastest growing tech companies and Europe’s leading online platform for home improvement. Before joining ManoMano, Christine spent seven years at Zalando, Europe’s largest online fashion retailer, where she built up Zalando’s French business. Christine is passionate about the European tech industry and has become an expert in scaling start-ups. Christine holds a BSc in International Affairs from Georgetown University, an MSc in International Relations from the London School of Economics and an MBA from INSEAD.

Alejandro Vega of Huli (Latin America) – Platform that connects patients, doctors and other healthcare services

Alejandro Vega is the CEO of Huli, a Latin American digital healthcare startup. Before founding Huli, Alejandro worked in investment banking where he worked on several cross-border M&A deals.

He also worked in General Electric, where he graduated from the Operations Management Leadership Program.

Alejandro is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, where he obtained an MBA from the Wharton School.

He is a Fellow of the Lauder Institute Global MBA program and an alumnus of the Portuguese international program.

He graduated Summa Cum Laude as an Industrial Engineer from Louisiana State University.

Visa Everywhere Initiative is an open innovation program that helps start-ups unlock new opportunities and gives them a global platform to demonstrate their ground-breaking solutions. The program first launched in the U.S. in 2015, and quickly expanded into a global program.

To date, nearly 8,500 start-ups have participated, and have collectively raised more than $16 billion in funding.

The Visa Everywhere Initiative is open to all start-ups who offer innovative solutions to the payments and commerce challenges of tomorrow. It also helps support start-ups and fintech in two ways:

1. As a competition, it gives them a global stage to pitch their solutions to a panel of payments experts, win prizes and gain wider attention in the sector.
2. As a program, it plugs start-ups into our global network of partners. This network is accessible to our Visa teams from all over the world when looking for solutions.

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