Nigerias’s Affiong Williams, founder of Reelfruit, named winner of 2024 Women Agri-preneurs of the Year Award at AFS Forum




AGRA has announced six winners of the 2024 Women Agri-preneurs of the Year Awards (WAYA) during the Africa Food Systems Forum (AFS Forum) held in Kigali, Rwanda.

This year’s WAYA awards finalists were selected from a record-breaking 1,535 applications spanning 44 African nations, a significant increase from the 1,430 applicants and 42 participating nations in 2023. This highlights the growing influence and importance of women in Africa’s agribusiness sector. The finalists represented diverse countries, including Benin, Burkina Faso, the DRC, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda.

The2024 WAYA Winners by Category include:

Grand Prize Winner:

Affiong Williams (pictured), the founder and CEO of ReelFruit, Nigeria – Awarded for outstanding contributions that exemplify how enterprise can transform lives and the agribusiness sector proving that sustainable impactful businesses can be built by women, receiving a cash prize of $40,000.

Young Female Agri-preneur (Rising Star):

Jovia Kisakaye, the founder and CEO, Ecobed Biotech Brand, Uganda – Celebrated as a high-potential young leader in agribusiness under the age of 35, Jovia was awarded for her leadership and ambition with her company Ecobed Biotech’s flagship program training young farmers to set up and manage black soldier fly farms enabling them to transform organic waste into valuable resources receiving a cash prize of $25,000.

Women Empowerment Champion:

Fannie Gondwe, Founder and Executive Director, Perisha Agro, Malawi – Acknowledged for making significant strides in promoting women’s empowerment in agriculture, having reached 800,000 households and providing training to 6000 smallholder farmers80% of them being women. She received a cash prize of $25,000.

Resilient and Inspirational Leader:

Daniella Virivuswagha, Founder, ChemChemAgro – Awarded for demonstrating resilience and inspirational leadership in the face of challenges, Daniella’s business uses connected sensors and artificial intelligence and API Connect to collect environmental data providing bee keepers with crucial information on optimal hive locations and pesticide risks. Receiving a cash prize of $25,000.

Outstanding Value-Adding Enterprise:

Florence Bassono, Founder, Faso Attieke, Burkina Faso – Recognized for her exceptional contributions to adding value to agricultural products, through transforming of the cassava value chain receiving a cash prize of $25,000.

Female Ag Tech Innovator:

Aisha Raheem, Founder, Farmz2u, Nigeria– Honored for pioneering technological advancements in agribusiness, through Farmz2u which provides innovative solutions including digital extension services, climate smart technologies and supply chain optimization tools, receiving a cash prize of $25,000.

Speaking during the fourth edition of the WAYA awarding ceremony, Dr. Agnes Kalibata, President of AGRA, remarked: “The WAYA awards shine a spotlight on the extraordinary women who are transforming Africa’s agricultural landscape. These women are not only leaders in their fields but are also driving inclusive growth, fostering innovation, and empowering their communities. Their contributions are pivotal to the continent’s food security and economic development.”

Nana Yaa Boakyewaa Amoah, Director for Gender, Youth and Inclusiveness at AGRA, one the judges, added: “Women represent 50% of the agricultural labor force in Africa and are responsible for 70% of production. Yet, they remain underrepresented in leadership roles within agribusiness. The WAYA awards aim to bridge this gap by recognizing and incentivizing women as key drivers of agricultural transformation in Africa.”

The other judges responsible for selecting this year’s winners included: Delphine Traoré, CEO, Sanlam Allianz General Insurance and AGRA Board Member; Jeniffer Ramnath, Chief Digital and Information Officer, Mastercard Foundation; Mary Boote, Vice Chair, International Agri-Food Network and CEO, Global Farmer Network; Judy Matu, National Executive Chairlady, Association of Women in Agriculture, Kenya; Oluyemisi Iranloye, and WAYA 2022 Grand Prize Winner and CEO, Psaltry International and Psaltry Foundation.

Judy Matu, WAYA 2024 Judge and National Executive Chairlady of the Association of Women in Agriculture Kenya, stated: “As judges, our role goes beyond evaluating achievements. We amplify the voices of these remarkable women and highlight their contributions to sustainable agribusiness and economic growth across Africa. It is an honor to celebrate their success and impact.”

The WAYA initiative, launched at the AGRF 2021 Summit, has become a cornerstone of AGRA’s efforts to strengthen women’s agribusiness enterprises across the continent. The initiative is supported by VALUE4HERConnect, Africa’s first women-in-agribusiness digital marketplace. Through VALUE4HER, AGRA enhances the performance of women entrepreneurs by improving their access to markets, finance, and investments.

The VALUE4HER Women Agri-preneurs of the Year Awards (WAYA) is an AGRA-led recognition initiative launched in 2021 under AGRA’s flagship VALUE4HER initiative that seeks to strengthen women agripreneurship in Africa. WAYA recognizes African female Agri-preneurs who have excelled in the agricultural value chains and have demonstrated remarkable innovation by contributing positively towards food security, climate resilience, women and youth empowerment. The awards aim to create visibility for successful women and promote them as positive role models, trigger innovation, and spur ambition among women Agri-preneurs. The awards are a collaboration between AGRA and various partners, including the Bill &Melinda Gates Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, UKAID, USAID, and in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation. Other delivery partners include the International Agri-food Network (IAFN), Association of Women in Agriculture Kenya (AWAK) and the Africa Development Research, Evaluation & Strategy(ADRES) Group.

The AFS Forum is the world’s premier forum for African agriculture and food systems, bringing together stakeholders to take practical action and share lessons that will move African food systems forward. The 2024 AFS Forum, held under the theme “Innovate, Accelerate and Scale: Delivering Food Systems Transformation in a Digital and Climate Era“, will be a timely opportunity to convene diverse stakeholders, including world leaders, investors, academia, farmers’ organizations, and the private sector, to spotlight innovations, technologies, best practices, business models, policy delivery mechanisms, and investments to accelerate food systems transformation in Africa and beyond, with youth and women at the helm.

Established in 2006, AGRA is an African-led and Africa-based institution dedicated to placing smallholder farmers at the core of the continent’s burgeoning economy. AGRA’s mission is to transform agriculture from a mere struggle for survival into a thriving business. In collaboration with its partners, AGRA catalyzes and sustains an inclusive agricultural transformation aimed at increasing incomes and enhancing food security in 11 countries.

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