The African Development Bank (AfDB) AgriPitch Competition recently concluded, awarding $120,000 in prizes to three promising agritech startups from Nigeria and Kenya. Releaf and Foodlocker from Nigeria, alongside Kenya’s Mhogo Foods, emerged as the top winners, a significant achievement announced via the AfDB's official Twitter handle on November 19, 2020. This competition aims to support African youth “agripreneurs” and foster agricultural innovation across the continent.

The selection process was rigorous, commencing with over 2,500 applications received from 30 African countries. From these, 605 proposals were evaluated, leading to a shortlist of 25 finalists representing 12 different nations. These finalists then participated in an intensive two-week business development boot camp. Ultimately, the top nine startups were chosen to pitch their innovative solutions to a distinguished panel of judges and investors during a virtual event, culminating in the selection of the three category winners.

Femi Aiki’s Foodlocker secured the $40,000 prize in the Mature Startups category. Ikenna Nzewi’s Releaf won $20,000 in the Early Startup category, and Elizabeth Gikebe’s Mhogo Foods received $20,000 in the Women-Empowered Businesses category. The competition also recognized runners-up, with Noel N’guessan’s Lono from Cote d’Ivoire receiving a $20,000 prize, while Oluwaseun Sangoleye of Baby Grubz (Nigeria) and David Matsiko’s Bringo Fresh (Uganda) each received $10,000.

Foodlocker, founded by Femi Aiki in 2017, is an Ibadan-based e-commerce startup that connects consumers with fresh foods and groceries sourced directly from local farmers and traders. The company is committed to supporting smallholder farmers by providing technologies for the production of various foods, including tomatoes and chicken. Foodlocker aggregates agricultural produce, ensures fair payment to farmers, and offers an online platform for affordable purchases, complemented by offline stores. Utilizing deep machine learning, Foodlocker accurately forecasts demand for consumer goods, thereby accelerating the sale of farm-fresh products through its web application. Femi Aiki stated that the $40,000 AfDB funding would enable Foodlocker to acquire more inputs and bring in additional experts to remotely support smallholder farmers, enhancing the company’s ability to achieve its objectives. Prior to this, Foodlocker had raised $30,000 in seed capital from angel investors in 2018, won the $11,000 Data Analytics Award at the 2019 Pitch AgriHack Competition, and secured $40,000 in seed funding from Founders Factory Africa in February 2020. The startup boasts monthly revenues of up to ₦10 million.

Releaf, established in 2017 by Isaiah Udotong, Ikenna Nzewi, and Uzoma Bailey Ayogu, focuses on leveraging novel hardware to improve the sale of high-quality raw agricultural produce and expand the supply chain from local farmers to food processing factories across Africa. Beginning its operations in Nigeria's vegetable oil industry, Releaf directly sources from smallholder farmers and employs its proprietary logistics hardware to enhance the availability of raw agricultural products for industrial processing. Ikenna Nzewi, Releaf CEO, expressed confidence in the company’s efforts to catalyze industrialization in food processing, highlighting the AfDB's support aligned with its High 5s focus, particularly industrialization. Releaf reports having equipped over 1,000 farmers, facilitating the supply of more than 7.5 million kg of quality crops to food factories in less than 18 months. The company previously raised $180,000 after joining Y-Combinator in 2017 and secured $1.3 million in funding from angel investors, including Eudaimonia Capital, in 2019.

Mhogo Foods, founded in 2017 by Elizabeth Gikebe, is based in Nairobi, Kenya, and specializes in the tech-enabled conversion of cassava products sourced from small-scale farmers. The company processes cassava tubers into gluten-free flour, various cassava snacks, and animal feed. Mhogo Foods plays a crucial role in optimizing cassava products from rural farmers, significantly reducing waste, and ensuring farmers receive fair compensation for their produce, thereby fostering sustainable income. Mhogo Foods had previously secured a $2,500 grant after winning the Impact Award at the 2020 GoGettaz Agripreneur competition.

All winners of the AgriPitch competition will gain access to the African Youth Agripreneurs Forum (AYAF) online DealRoom, an exclusive platform designed to connect scalable youth-led African businesses with global investors, further supporting their growth and impact.