A Nigerian agriculture technology startup, Extension Africa, alongside Ethiopia-based Thur Biotech and Kenya’s Silo Africa, have been announced winners of the 2024 AYuTe Africa NextGen at the inaugural AYuTe NextGen gathering in Kigali, Rwanda.

The Three young agritech entrepreneurs were honoured after triumphing in a youth-focused competition aimed to spur a tech-led revolution in Africa’s agriculture.

The AYuTe Africa Challenge is a prestigious enterprise development programme funded by Heifer International to celebrate the success of innovative agric-centric ventures and promote sustainable agriculture across the continent.

Entries for this year’s competition were taken from among the finalists of national competitions in several countries. Having passed through various stages of rigorous technical assessments, five competitors emerged to pitch their ideas to a distinguished panel of judges at the event.

Each finalist showcased an innovative agritech solution with the potential to transform the livelihoods of Africa’s smallholder farmers. After considering the presentations, and assessing the innovative ideas against set metrics, the judges reached a verdict and winners of the AYuTe NextGen Class of 2024 were announced.

Attended by cabinet members from host country, Rwanda, as well as global and regional stakeholders, Heifer International observed that the event was held to inspire a new generation of young agripreneurs and innovators throughout Africa, driving a forward-looking vision for the next 50 years of agricultural transformation on the continent.

Speaking, Chief Executive Officer/Managing Director, Extension Africa, Tajudeen Yahaya, said the platform won first place in the national segment and secured third place in the inaugural AYuTe Next Gen event.

He said the achievement demonstrated the firm’s potential to revolutionise agricultural collaboration across Africa.

He said the competition, which featured 15 national winners from countries like Kenya, Senegal, Ethiopia, and Uganda, provided invaluable exposure and funding, adding that this enabled the Nigerian team to enhance their global platform that connects agents with last-mile farmers.