Kenyan agripreneurs claim climate-smart awards for youth-led innovations » Capital News
KAMPALA, Uganda, Jun 21 – Four young African entrepreneurs have been crowned winners of the AYuTe NextGen 2025 competition, an event hosted by Heifer International in Kampala under the theme “AgTech Generation Rising.”
The competition highlighted groundbreaking youth-led innovations aimed at transforming smallholder farming across the continent.
From a pool of over 100 applicants across ten countries, eleven finalists were selected to pitch their solutions live before a panel of investors and policymakers.
In the Climate-Smart Agriculture category, Kenya’s Carolyn Mwangi, CEO of Kimplanter Seedlings, emerged as the overall winner for her enterprise that provides climate-resilient seedlings to smallholder farmers.
The runner-up was fellow Kenyan Maryanne Gichanga, CEO of Agritechs Analytics, recognized for her solar-powered sensors that help farmers monitor pests, soil health, and manage farms remotely.
Mwangi described the award as a validation of her team’s efforts to empower farmers through smart, data-driven solutions.
“This recognition means so much, not just to me, but to our entire team at Kimplanter. We have always believed that building resilience for smallholder farmers starts with something as simple, yet powerful, as the right seedlings,” she said.
“Winning AYuTe NextGen is not just a milestone for our team, its a sign thatAfrica’s agricultural future will be shaped by innovation, data, and the determination of young entrepreneurs like us.”
Financing farmers
In the Access to Finance and Markets category, Ghana’s Nana Opoku, CEO of Grow For Me, took the top prize for his platform that connects crop investors with experienced farmers.
Nigeria’s Richies Attai, CEO of Winich Farms, was named runner-up for his tech platform that links farmers directly to factories while offering bundled credit and insurance services.
Opoku called the recognition a turning point that would help unlock financial opportunities for smallholder farmers in Ghana, offering them greater protection and stability.
“It will go a long way in unlocking financial opportunities, bringing greater stability, increasing incomes, and providing protection against crop losses.”
Beyond the awards, the three-day summit featured panel discussions led by young innovators exploring the future of food systems in Africa, startup scaling, and locally driven agricultural tech.
Adesuwa Ifedi, Senior Vice President for Africa Programs at Heifer International, noted the growing impact of over 2,000 agritech startups on the continent—many of them founded by youth.
As the event concluded, a united call to action was issued to investors, governments, and development partners to empower Africa’s agricultural transformation by supporting young innovators with capital, policy, infrastructure, and mentorship.