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Senegal: Agritech Startups to Win Funding and Mentorship at Heifer Worldwide’s 4th AYuTe Africa Problem in Senegal

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Dakar — Heifer Worldwide as we speak introduced the launch of its fourth annual AYuTe Africa Problem in Senegal, providing as much as US$20,000 in prizes to agritech startups driving agricultural transformation within the nation. The announcement was made in the course of the 2025 ANDE Pan African Convention in Dakar, which focuses on empowering youth, fostering digital innovation, and supporting various, culturally wealthy enterprises. Launched in 2021 beneath Heifer Worldwide’s AYuTe Africa NextGen initiative, the problem identifies and helps agritech innovators growing scalable options to empower smallholder farmers and enhance meals safety.

The annual AYuTe (Agriculture, Youth and Expertise) Africa Problem harnesses the potential of African youth and rising applied sciences to assist smallholder farmers develop their companies and improve their incomes. The nationwide competitors in Senegal supplies early-stage agritech startups with not solely funding to speed up their progress but additionally entry to beneficial mentorship and coaching packages. By way of this initiative, Heifer Worldwide goals to make agriculture a sexy and worthwhile profession path for younger Africans, empowering them to leverage know-how throughout all the agricultural worth chain, from farm to market.

Daouda Ndao, Nation Director, Heifer Worldwide Senegal, inspired the nation’s younger innovators to grab this chance. “Senegal’s agriculture sector is significant to our financial growth, using 60% of our workforce whereas contributing considerably to our meals provide,” mentioned Ndao. “Expertise provides immense potential to remodel our agricultural sector, and we’re dedicated to supporting entrepreneurs who can develop progressive options that meet the wants of our farmers and improve their productiveness and incomes.”

Final yr’s AYuTe Africa Problem winner in Senegal, Aar Mbay Mi – that means “defending crops” in Wolof – developed a bird-repellent gadget to safeguard crops

Mabouba Diagne, Senegal’s Minister for Agriculture, Meals Sovereignty, and Livestock, and in addition the nation’s AYuTe Ambassador, endorsed the initiative. “The AYuTe Africa Problem completely aligns with Senegal’s Meals Sovereignty Technique (SAS), which goals to make sure sustainable meals and dietary safety for all Senegalese by 2035,” mentioned Minister Diagne. “By encouraging native innovators to leverage know-how and mix it with conventional data, we are able to speed up the strengthening of our meals methods and uplift farming communities. We’re grateful for Heifer Worldwide’s ongoing assist and their dedication to growth in Senegal.”

Final yr’s AYuTe Africa Problem winner in Senegal, Aar Mbay Mi – that means “defending crops” in Wolof – developed a bird-repellent gadget to safeguard crops from seed-eating birds. Reflecting on their success, Marie Touré, a member of the successful workforce, shared, “Profitable AYuTe supplied us with extra than simply funding; it related us with mentors and opened doorways that helped us broaden our answer to over 20,000 smallholder farmers. We encourage different startups to embrace this chance and contribute to a extra sustainable agricultural future.”

The 4th AYuTe Africa Problem in Senegal welcomes purposes from March till April 2025. Eligible startups should:

  • Be Senegalese residents aged 18-35 years.
  • Have developed a technological answer that addresses the challenges confronted by smallholder farmers, with robust potential for scalability.
  • Reveal vital demand for his or her product/service from smallholder farmers.