By Abdi Ali
Published April 27, 2021
An all-Africa competition for young African entrepreneurs in agriculture invites applications.
Known as GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition and presented by Generation Africa, the organisers say they are “looking for for young, agrifood change makers with business models that can revolutionize food systems across the African continent” and that the “competition is open to African citizens between 18 and 35 years old who are founders or co-founders of social or commercial agrifood businesses” based in any part of Africa.
The organisers say a female and a male agripreneurs “with scalable and impactful business or social ventures will each receive US$50,000 for their businesses” at an award ceremony alongside the Africa Food Prize. Applications are submitted through the GoGettaz.africa website.
RELATED: Agriculture Initiative to Guarantee Youth Employment and Food Security
Generation Africa under whose umbrella the US$100 000 GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition is presented says this third edition of the annual competition “aims to expand the GoGettaz community of agripreneurs, providing them with access to education, mentorship and investment networks as they launch, grow, or scale their agrifood ventures.”
Dickson Naftali, who heads Generation Africa, says, “This is an incredibly important year for global food systems. COVID has exacerbated food insecurity, inequalities and poverty. The pandemic has challenged conventional logic around food production and food security as global supply lines came to a standstill. It is obvious that things must change. Generation Africa believes that food systems can change if we collaboratively support young African agrifood entrepreneurs, as well as small and medium agribusinesses across the continent.”
RELATED: Photo Show Marks Africa’s Agricultural Revolution
Generation Africa says it seeks to reward visionary young Africans who demonstrate an entrepreneurial mindset and innovative problem-solving in developing and growing their agrifood businesses through the GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition.
Beyond the two grand prizes, the second GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition in 2020 is reported to have awarded four additional prizes of US$2 500 to enterprises that played an inspiring role in their communities.
RELATED: Inventors and Innovators Receive Commonwealth Awards for Development
Generation Africa, that says it hopes to discover more deserving recipients in the 2021 competition, says the GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition was “created to celebrate businesses with tangible social impact.”
Amanda Namayi, GoGettaz Lead, says “a thousand members of the GoGettaz community received free access to the Entrepreneurship in Agribusiness courses organized by the Agripreneurship Alliance” in 2020 and that “all who join the GoGettaz community get instant online access to high quality training material to help guide them through the business start-up process.”
“Since its launch in 2019,” Generation Africa says it “has brought onboard USAID as a co-founding partner. Additionally, influential new collaborators, Nourishing Africa and One Young World, have joined the exciting Generation Africa ecosystem development movement to reach and inspire agrifood entrepreneurs on the African continent in innovative ways.
RELATED: How to Prepare for Adolescence
“Even with the COVID crisis, 2020 saw more than 3,000 applicants from 29 African countries, registered to compete, with 12 exceptional businesses making it through to the Top 12,” Amanda Namayi says. “It was an impressive turn-out. This year we look forward to thousands more entrepreneurs hearing our message, joining GoGettaz, and caring to compete for the grand prizes. GoGettaz is a movement for change, and these are the changemakers!”
Generation Africa is the initiative of Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, Corteva Agriscience, Econet, Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions, Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture, US Agency for International Development, and Yara International.
