Rockefeller Foundation Archives

Looking at this example, scientists and other experts became convinced it was time for an “African Green Revolution”. My late friend Kofi Annan called for an African-led initiative to be launched to focus especially on finding solutions to increase agricultural production and support smallholder farmers.

Kofi Annan became the first Chair of the “Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa” (AGRAAlliance). A few years later, he asked me to take over the helm. The week of my final board meeting 15 years later, in 2019, two very special things happened:

First, I was awarded the Norman Borlaug World Food Prize Medallion, which I consider one of the greatest honours in my life. I was totally taken by surprise. Second, my friend Svein Tore Holsether [CEO of Yara International] and I shared the stage to announce the first winners of the inaugural Generation Africa “GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize” which we co-founded to inspire and support young entrepreneurs in the agrifood sector.

Fast forward to today: The Third Annual GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize competition is underway and applications are open until 14 June. You can find out more here: https://gogettaz.vc4a.com/about/

Judges will choose two agri-food entrepreneurs [one man and one woman] to win US$50,000 and I heard so far only 23% of the applicants are women! What!? Women feed our continent! Please share the word. And for the thousands of you still in the middle of completing your 2021 application… the clock is ticking!

Last year’s Top-12 finalists (age 18-35) were from Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda. In 2019 the Top-12 came from Botswana, Cameroon, DRC, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.

Were you one of them? I have seen some of you comment on the page from time to time.

Finalist companies included innovative agribusiness #technologies, #processes and #products like:

# black soldier fly larvae (high protein alternative) to make ice cream and animal feed

# indigenous fruit preserves for tourist and export markets

# dried fruit for local and export markets

# cassava production and processing of gluten-free snacks

# post-harvest loss technologies [solar and digital]

# digital apps to connect investors with smallholders, producers with markets [and more]

# locally processed sunflower oil

# precision agricultural drones

# urban vertical farming

# vermiposting (earthworms) using recyclable waste

# tech-enabled efficient food distribution… [and much more]

I did hear that fish and poultry farmers competed in the past few years, but so far none have made it to the finals. One key thing judges are looking for: #Innovation and potential to #CreateJobs and #Scale [expand strong sustainable agri-food businesses founded by inspiring young African entrepreneurs).

Some of these agribusinesses were really Wow! Imagine ice cream made of black soldier flies! I really wanted to taste some, but maybe another time.

Is there money in food? Of course, there is! Whatever is happening in the world, be it plague or war or recession, there will always be demand for healthy food. And we either must produce it or import it. [Especially now with COVID, that food must be as nutritious as possible!]

SOMEONE is making billions feeding the African people in our GROWING YOUNG market. [It is crazy how much our African nations spend importing food and other inputs to the food system!]

Let’s fix this.