By Francis Emukule
The International University of East Africa (IUEA) and its agri-fintech initiative, eSusFarm, clinched the top honour in the Early-Stage Agritech Business category at the Africa Food Systems Forum in Tanzania.
The innovation, eSusFarm, is a pioneering agri-fintech organ focused on tracking and delivering sophisticated agricultural statistical data.
The primary aim is to empower smallholder farmers by enhancing agricultural productivity, improving market access for smallholders, facilitating credit accessibility, and overall increasing efficiency within the agri-value chain.
The award was received at Pitch Agri-Hack in Tanzania, a prestigious competition that identifies and amplifies the efforts of young innovators dedicated to bolstering resilience through digital agriculture products and services.
The emphasis of the Pitch Agri-Hack was on fostering scalable innovations that generate measurable impact within Africa’s food systems.
Winning contestants receive funding and on-going support to scale up their innovations and drive transformative change in the agricultural sector.
The theme for this year’s Pitch Agri-Hack was: Unleash your Innovation. It deeply resonated with the entrepreneurial spirit, as it showcased how technology can be leveraged to promote sustainability, improve productivity and uplift communities.
During a rigorous selection process, applicants from 39 African countries showcased their dedication and ingenuity.
Ultimately, six outstanding winners were crowned at the Youth Innovation Awards, held on the final day of The Africa Food Systems Forum at the Julius Nyerere International Convention Centre in Dar esSalaam, Tanzania.
Notably, eSusFarm’s innovation stood out for its novelty, garnering accolades, such as the 2020 World Bank Top Innovator Award and an honourable mention for Empowerment.
Furthermore, the organisation received the Best Business Model Award in May 2020 from InnMind, one of Europe’s largest VC and start up ecosystems.
eSusFarm is also pioneering agri-fintech organisation, blending agronomic expertise with financial management capabilities.
Central to its innovation is an on-going risk management system, offering a novel approach to risk assessment for smallholder farmers, particularly valuable for financial institutions.
Beyond its innovative offerings, eSusFarm provides a platform for networking, mentorship, training and exposure to potential investors and partners.
Participation in Pitch AgriHack connects you to a vibrant community of like-minded entrepreneurs committed to making a meaningful impact on Africa’s food systems.
This year’s Pitch AgriHack was jointly organised by the African Food Systems Forum (AGRF), Heifer International, and Generation Africa.
The event showcased an impressive array of innovative solutions, highlighting the transformative potential of technology-driven approaches throughout the agricultural value chain.
The competition, with a total prize pool of $45,000, celebrated and recognised the brilliance of young minds reshaping the future of African agriculture.
Emeka Akaezuwa, the vice-chancellor of IUEA, said eSusFarm employs its proprietary technology to gather real-time food production data from smallholder and subsistence producers.
This valuable data is then made available to agricultural stakeholders, including the National Agricultural Organisation.
