• Badger Analytics, founded in March 2025, uses satellite and drone imagery to create color-coded crop health maps.

• The platform helps farmers identify high- and low-performance areas to guide precise interventions.

• Khanya Nyawo also heads Premier Agric, a consultancy promoting productivity and sustainable farming practices.

South African tech entrepreneur Khanya Nyawo is leveraging visual data analytics to make crop management simpler and more efficient. As the founder of Badger Analytics, he has developed a digital platform that helps farmers monitor and understand crop health through imagery-based data.

Founded in March 2025, Badger Analytics automatically collects data from satellite and drone images. The system cleans and processes this data to generate color-coded crop health maps, enabling farmers to quickly spot areas performing well and those needing intervention.

The results are displayed on an interactive dashboard designed for on-field use. Farmers can view the condition of their plots at a glance and convert complex datasets into practical, daily insights—without requiring technical expertise.

The platform targets commercial and smallholder farms that want to track crop health across seasons and optimize interventions based on measurable indicators. It caters to both producers seeking a comprehensive overview and managers aiming for data-driven decision-making.

Alongside Badger Analytics, Nyawo serves as managing director of Premier Agric, an agribusiness consultancy offering support in crop management, product development, training, and agricultural insurance. The firm focuses on boosting productivity, reducing costs, and promoting sustainable practices across Africa’s farming ecosystem.

Before this, Nyawo led Khathom Agriculture between 2016 and 2020, a company dedicated to agricultural advisory services and farmer empowerment in Southern Africa.

A graduate of Cedara College of Agriculture in South Africa (class of 2013), Nyawo has built his career around integrating technology and agronomy to empower African farmers through innovation and accessibility.

This article was initially published in French by Melchior Koba

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum

• AgriLogiq, founded in 2020, develops predictive automation systems for greenhouse and tunnel farming.

• The company integrates climate, irrigation, and fertilization controls driven by real-time data analytics.

• Joel van der Schyff combines engineering and technology to enhance resource efficiency and crop yields.

South African entrepreneur Joel van der Schyff is transforming how producers manage greenhouse crops by placing data at the core of agricultural operations. As co-founder, CEO, and head of growth at AgriLogiq, he merges engineering expertise with technological innovation to optimize controlled-environment farming.

Founded in 2020, AgriLogiq designs predictive automation systems for greenhouses and tunnels. These systems help farmers boost yields while optimizing water, energy, and input use.

AgriLogiq’s integrated solutions combine climate, irrigation, and fertilization controls, all powered by data analysis to adjust growing conditions in real time. The company connects farmers to their operations via a comprehensive digital platform that links sensors, hardware, and automation software.

By collecting, processing, and interpreting data, AgriLogiq enables growers to improve precision and efficiency in every stage of protected cultivation.

Before founding AgriLogiq, van der Schyff co-founded Machman in 2011, a firm that provided manufacturing improvement solutions for the agro-processing sector. He served as sales and finance director until 2017.

He later joined LLB Innovative Foods in 2019 as operations director, and became project and third-party distribution manager in 2020. Between 2021 and 2024, he was also a shareholder at TS Tec, a provider of IT security and support services.

Van der Schyff earned a mechanical and electrical engineering diploma from Northlink College in 2011 and an MBA in operations management from the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business in 2018.

Through AgriLogiq, he aims to make data-driven agriculture accessible to a wider range of producers in Africa, helping them balance productivity, sustainability, and profitability in a changing climate.

This article was initially published in French by Melchior Koba

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum

• ChipChip connects farmers directly with urban consumers through group-buying technology.

• The company pays “group leaders” to organize collective orders and deliveries.

• Amir Redwan previously founded Tikus Delivery, a bicycle-based food-delivery service in Addis Ababa.

Ethiopian software engineer and entrepreneur Amir Redwan is using technology to connect rural farmers to urban consumers. He co-founded ChipChip to allow buyers to pool orders and cut distribution costs.

Founded in 2023 by Redwan and European entrepreneur Mateo Klemmayer, ChipChip operates a group-purchasing platform that links customers with agricultural producers outside traditional supply chains. The company aims to provide competitive prices while supporting farmer incomes.

ChipChip groups customers into buying clusters to reduce acquisition costs. Farmers benefit from direct access to the market. The company pays “group leaders” to form and manage purchasing groups and oversee coordination and delivery.

Before ChipChip, Redwan co-founded Tikus Delivery in 2020 and serves as its CEO. The service offers mobile food ordering and home delivery in Addis Ababa using electric and non-electric bicycles.

Redwan graduated in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in software engineering from Addis Ababa Science and Technology University. He completed an internship at Kifiya Financial Technology before becoming a software engineer in 2019. He worked for Modern Cyber Intel Consultancy and Med Innovation in Ethiopia’s technology sector.

This article was initially published in French by Melchior Koba

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum

Moroccan agri-food engineer and entrepreneur Wissal Ben Moussa co-founded Sand to Green in 2022 and serves as its agricultural director. The agri-tech startup focuses on regenerative farming projects aimed at restoring degraded soils and improving agricultural resilience.

Sand to Green builds its models on environmental data analysis, guiding farmers and industry players toward resilient, traceable systems with measurable climate and economic impact.

The company developed RegenWise, a software platform that evaluates land characteristics and generates project scenarios including crop selection, plant combinations, spatial layouts, and irrigation systems. The tool provides technical guides for implementation, tracks plantation progress, and produces reports aligned with ESG certification standards. It also supports processes related to carbon credit initiatives.

In September 2025, Sand to Green secured third place in the national round of the Orange Social Venture Prize for Africa and the Middle East (POESAM). The startup also joined the AI Founder Sprint program at INSEAD’s AI Venture Lab and was named a finalist in the Food Tech Challengers competition.

Ben Moussa graduated in 2012 as an agri-food engineer from the Hassan II Agronomic and Veterinary Institute in Morocco and earned a master’s degree in innovation management for agro-industries from AgroParisTech in 2013.

Her early career included research at the INRH’s specialized seafood processing center in 2012 and a junior consulting role at Quaternaire in 2013. In 2014, she joined the Moroccan Innovation Center as a performance and development officer. From 2015 to 2017, she worked at Unilever Morocco in food R&D, supporting the local head of the department.

This article was initially published in French by Melchior Koba

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum

• The Gates Foundation pledged more than $10 million to support Senegal’s New Deal technologique, its national digital strategy launched in February 2025.
• The partnership will fund a universal digital ID, an AI hub for health and agriculture, and a Delivery Unit to oversee project transparency and efficiency.
• Senegal’s digital strategy requires $2 billion, of which $155 million still needs to be secured.

Senegal signed a $10 million-plus partnership with the Gates Foundation on September 24 to accelerate its national digital strategy, known as the New Deal technologique. The agreement was finalized on the sidelines of the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York, the state broadcaster RTS reported.

Le Président a reçu en audience M. @BillGates, Président de la Gates Foundation.

Cette rencontre a permis de conclure un partenariat stratégique de plus de 10 millions de dollars pour accélérer le #NewDealTechnologique et faire du Sénégal un hub africain d’innovation numérique. pic.twitter.com/kBJk37Sigr

— Présidence Sénégal (@PR_Senegal) September 24, 2025

The program, launched in February 2025 by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, aims to transform public services, strengthen digital sovereignty, and establish Senegal as a regional technology hub by 2034.

The deal provides for the rollout of a universal digital identity system, the creation of an artificial intelligence hub focused on health and agriculture, and the establishment of a Delivery Unit to ensure project transparency and efficiency.

The partnership follows an initial meeting between Bill Gates and President Faye during the 79th UN General Assembly, when both sides agreed to expand cooperation in areas including AI-assisted agriculture, sanitation, and digital innovation across strategic sectors.

Senegal budgeted CFA1,105 billion (about $2 billion) for the New Deal technologique. Authorities have already identified CFA950 billion, leaving CFA155 billion still to be mobilized.

Officials expect the Gates Foundation’s contribution to accelerate the implementation of priority projects, expand inclusive digital services for citizens, and attract additional private investment into Senegal’s tech ecosystem.

This article was initially published in French by Samira Njoya

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum

The adoption of a digital traceability system facilitates better quality control and enhances the reputation of African produce globally. It will offer new opportunities for farmers and exporters while addressing the barriers that have historically hindered market access.

Uganda is adopting a digital traceability system aimed at boosting the global competitiveness of its fruit and vegetable farmers, Dr. Caroline Nankinga from the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries revealed at a press conference held on September 23.

Dr. Nankinga emphasized the system’s role in enhancing efficiency, noting that, starting September 30, 2024, agricultural inspectors will use the platform to verify consignments, expediting operations.

The system, developed by the Re-engineering of Uganda's Sanitary and Phytosanitary Inspection of Horticulture Exports (RUSH) initiative, seeks to improve tracking of fresh produce from farms to Entebbe International Airport, ensuring compliance with international standards and reducing market access barriers caused by past interceptions. It is set to transform the inspection and certification process, replacing the outdated manual documentation methods with a streamlined digital platform.

One of the major benefits of RUSH is its ability to address long-standing challenges, such as delays and interception risks due to manual processes. Exporters can now upload essential documents online, enabling real-time compliance checks and swift corrective measures if issues arise during inspections.

Pests and diseases are major causes of export interceptions in Uganda. According to HortiFresh, a business membership organization that supports Uganda's Fresh Fruits and Vegetables (FFV) sector, in 2022, over 200 interceptions were reported due to pests, leading to substantial revenue losses for exporters​. The RUSH system's digital traceability solution directly addresses these challenges by ensuring better monitoring, compliance, and real-time corrective actions. This can help reduce interceptions, safeguard revenue, and restore confidence in Uganda's agricultural exports.

Hikmatu Bilali

AgDevCo, an African agriculture investor, has secured $32 million from the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) to launch "AgDevCo Ventures." The new fund, announced September 4, will support early-stage agribusinesses, focusing on investments between $1 million and $3 million to address the "missing middle" often overlooked due to perceived risks.

The venture aims to boost job creation, increase smallholder farmer incomes, and enhance climate resilience. A key focus will be on African and female-owned businesses, managed by a dedicated team based in Nairobi.

MEST Africa is inviting emerging tech entrepreneurs to participate in the MEST Africa Challenge (MAC) 2024. As Africa’s premier pitch competition, MAC 2024 will focus on agri-tech startups in West Africa.

The winning startup will receive investment capital, coaching, and access to a global network of resources. Applications open on August 26, 2024, and close on October 4, 2024, with virtual semifinals scheduled for October 29-30, 2024.

Eligible startups must have a minimum monthly revenue of $5,000, raised less than $1 million in funding, and have been operating for three years or less. All participants will pitch in English.

Agriculture is a strategic economic sector that generates wealth and employment in Africa. However, a number of countries are still struggling to organize it effectively. Digital technology can help to overcome this weakness

The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has inaugurated a Technical Working Group (TWG) focused on developing a seamless database to accurately identify Nigerian farmers, a press release by the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation dated August 17 revealed. The initiative, led by Permanent Secretary Mr. Temitope Fashedemi, aims to improve the distribution of agricultural inputs and support to farmers across the country.

During the inauguration ceremony, held recently at the Ministry’s Conference Room in Abuja, Fashedemi emphasized the importance of this initiative in shaping the future of Nigeria's agricultural sector. He noted that a reliable database would enable the Ministry to more effectively deliver services and resources to the farmers who need them most.

To achieve this goal, the Ministry plans to collaborate with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), which will play a crucial role in creating a robust database. The Permanent Secretary highlighted that this collaboration would help ensure the accuracy and completeness of the data collected, thereby enhancing the Ministry's ability to implement agricultural programs efficiently.

The TWG, comprising members from the technical departments of the Ministry and NIMC, has been tasked with developing effective modalities for collaboration between the Ministry and NIMC. The group's Terms of Reference (TOR) include creating a comprehensive work plan with clear timelines and roles, designing data collection tools to capture essential farmer information such as identification details, farm size, and crop types, and identifying training programs for field officers and data collectors to ensure data accuracy, the release further stated.

The database will help assess financial credibility for connecting farmers to microfinance and subsidy programs, facilitating access to credit and aid.

According to the latest data from the World Bank, agriculture, forestry, and fishing contributed approximately 22.72% to Nigeria’s GDP in 2023. This underscores the importance of the government's initiative to develop a comprehensive database of farmers. With agriculture being such a vital part of the economy, accurate data collection will enable a more targeted and effective distribution of resources, ultimately enhancing productivity and supporting economic growth.

Hikmatu Bilali

The Agribusiness Innovation Challenge, co-created by the Nigeria Climate Innovation Center (NCIC) and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), invites young entrepreneurs aged 18-35 passionate about agriculture and technology to develop solutions to improve the food supply chain in Nigeria.

Winners will secure a 2,000,000 naira ($12,700) equity-free grant and other benefits, with applications closing on July 26th, 2024.