Empowering young innovators key to agricultural transformation

DAR ES SAALAAM: EMPOWERING young innovators in the agritech ecosystem is pivotal to accelerating the country’s agricultural transformation.

The statement was made by Heifer Tanzania’s Country Director, Mr Mark Tsoxo, recently, emphasised that youth empowerment in agriculture is a central focus of the organisation’s development efforts.

“Through its initiatives, Heifer supports young, innovative entrepreneurs who are using technology and creativity to find solutions to the challenges faced by farmers,” he stated.

Mr Tsoxo highlighted that young innovators are driving the agritech ecosystem in Tanzania, emphasising the urgent need for additional development partners to support their growth and scalability ultimately fostering agricultural transformation in the country.

Through the AYuTe Africa Challenge, Heifer International is playing a key role in promoting innovation and technology among youth. The organisation remains committed to its mission of ending hunger and poverty while fostering environmental sustainability.

As part of its efforts, Heifer is actively investing in youth engagement in agriculture, integrating innovation and technology through its AYuTe Africa NextGen initiative.

“By fostering these innovations, the programme not only empowers young entrepreneurs but also drives sustainable agricultural transformation across Africa,” Mr Tsoxo stated.

This year’s Cohort II of the programme includes agribusiness training for the 10 shortlisted agripreneurs and intensive training for the five finalists. The top five will be awarded a grant of 25,000 US dollars (62.5m/-) to further their impact.

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The AYuTe Africa Challenge is a catalyst for youth-led agritech startups, providing them with expert mentorship, technical training and catalytic financing to scale their businesses.

Data from the AYuTe Tanzania application process revealed that 260 youth-led agritech startups from across the country applied to join the programme.

The top 10 agritech startups have received mentorship and training in leadership, project management, financial management and scalability.

Among the 10 startups are Kwanzaa Ventures, Mil-Animal Nutrition Innovation Centre, Primax Agrifeed Business, Linah Agritech Solutions, Dry Food Limited, Bio-Floc Blue, Agrosoko Limited, Shamba Tool, Nyika Nexus and Mbeya Oil Cado.

The Founder and CEO of Mbeya Oil Cado, Mr Simon Mtweve, shared how participating in the AYuTe Africa Challenge has helped scale his startup and expand his market reach.

“Inspired by the fact that 60 per cent of avocado farmers in the Mbeya and Njombe regions lacked a market for rejected avocados, Mtweve developed a solution to process the rejected fruit into avocado cooking oil.

“Currently producing 300 litres a month, he aims to scale to 15,000 litres per month to supply both local and international markets, including Kenya,” he stated.