Richies Attai, a Nigerian entrepreneur and Co-Founder of Winich Farms, has been named one of the winners of the 2025 AYuTe NextGen competition, a youth-focused agricultural technology initiative developed by Heifer International.

Attai, whose company provides end-to-end digital services connecting farmers directly to factories while bundling credit and insurance products, emerged first runner-up in the Access to Finance and Markets category.

The announcement was made at the close of a three-day conference in Kampala, Uganda, which brought together agritech startups, investors, and development partners from across Africa.

“This opportunity validates our work,” said Nana Opoku of Ghana’s Grow For Me, who won the top prize in the same category. “It will go a long way in unlocking financial opportunities and providing protection against crop losses.”

Attai’s inclusion in the winning cohort brings further visibility to Nigeria’s growing agritech sector. His platform is designed to reduce the inefficiencies in agricultural value chains and has been used to support smallholder farmers across the country.

The competition received over 100 applications from 10 African countries, with 11 finalists selected to pitch to a panel of judges drawn from sectors including finance, climate innovation, and telecommunications. Judges evaluated the solutions based on their relevance to smallholder farmers, technological soundness, scalability, and social impact.

In the Climate-Smart Agriculture category, the overall winner was Carolyn Mwangi of Kenya’s Kimplanter Seedlings and Nurseries. Maryanne Gichanga, also from Kenya, was named first runner-up for her solar-powered farm sensor technology.

“This recognition means so much, not just to me, but to our entire team,” Mwangi said. “We believe building resilience for smallholder farmers starts with something as simple, yet powerful, as the right seedlings.”

Adesuwa Ifedi, Senior Vice President, Africa Programs at Heifer International, said: “These young agripreneurs are unlocking opportunities at every stage of the agricultural value chain. We are here to help connect the dots in this powerful movement.”

Participants at the event called for increased support for young innovators through early-stage capital, favourable policy frameworks, and mentorship to drive agricultural transformation across the continent.

AYuTe NextGen, an initiative by Heifer International, aims to identify and scale youth-led innovations that support smallholder farmers.