Global agricultural institution, the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) is calling on innovative agri-entrepreneursto apply for the fourth edition of the Pitch AgriHack competition.
Launched in 2015, Pitch AgriHack seeks to accelerate youth digital entrepreneurship in agriculture for job creation and growth in Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries.
The competition also aims to contribute to the adoption of innovations for stronger productivity in the agri-food sector, through offering grants and facilitation of access to investments, capacity building and promotional opportunities.
The competition targets start-ups founded by entrepreneurs between the ages of 18 and 35.
Finalists will go through a partnership and investment readiness training boot camp, with seven winning start-ups in different categories standing a chance to win between EUR5 000 (R80 200) and EUR15 000 (R240 500).
"We are proud that Pitch AgriHack has become such an important part of the African Green Revolution Forum," explains senior programme coordinator for agricultural tech initiative, ICT4Ag, Ken Lohento.
"More importantly, we are proud to see how so many of our alumni have grown. Since the inception of the AgriHack talent initiative we have worked with more than 1 000 young digital innovators, with around 100 entering the final stages of the competition. Many have gone on to win additional funding close to EUR2 million [R32 million] from various players and created jobs."
Pitch AgriHack is part of the CTA's AgriHack talent initiative which is designed to help develop business services offered by young ICT4Ag start-ups and to accelerate e-agriculture entrepreneurship for growth, job creation and improved livelihoods among ACP member states.
Launched in partnership with the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa,GreenTec Capital African Foundation, chemical firm, OCP Group and the World Bank among others, the competition is open to both male and female founders of digital start-ups owners of platforms facilitating the delivery of digital services to the agricultural sector.
Applicants need to be nationals and residents of any African country or of Caribbean and Pacific countries that are signatories of the Cotonou Agreement with the EU.
Selected finalists will pitch their innovations to ICT4Ag and business experts at the African Green Revolution Forum in Accra, Ghana from 3 to 7 September 2019.
Since the launch the competition, AgriHack says over a million farmers and agricultural stakeholders have been reached by the services provided by competition entrants. In 2018, there were 325 applicants from 36 countries.
"OCP firmly believes that the agricultural sector will play a vital role in enabling young people's access to employment in Africa," adds Karim Lofti Senhadji, CEO of OCP Africa.
"As such, the group has integrated the promotion of youth agribusiness into its strategy. In this spirit, OCP also partners with organisations thriving to accelerate entrepreneurial initiatives in agriculture, especially those promoting women like CTA's AgriHack."
The seven different categories include three new special prize categories: data analytics services, public choice and the greentec prize.
Interested parties must apply by the closing date of 24 May, 2019.
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