BTA2023 KIC has issued a call for applications to the 2025 AgriTech Challenge Pro program. Nominations are available until November 1st, 2024.
The Mastercard Foundation supports the AgriTech Challenge Pro program through the Initiative for Youth In Agricultural Transformation partnership, which was formed between KIC and the Foundation to train the next generation of young leaders and entrepreneurs in Ghana’s agricultural industry.
The KIC Agritech Challenge Pro is a five-month accelerator program that helps young entrepreneurs establish and create economically viable, scalable solutions to important agricultural problems.
The program intends to use technology and innovation to boost productivity, increase yields, and create more jobs in Ghana’s agricultural industry. Participants are chosen from the AgriTech Challenge Classic program as well as a pool of established start-ups eager to grow their businesses to investor readiness. At the completion of the program, KIC and its partners will provide up to USD50,000 in initial investment to some selected enterprises.
Participants in the competition share the useful experience they obtained from the capacity development and coaching provided during the training.
Meet Agnes Kuole, from Ghana’s Upper West Region. She had always wanted to be an Agripreneur, and her dream came true when she participated in the KIC AgriTech Challenge Classic and advanced to the Pro level. She and her crew founded King Tractor, a start-up that manufactures tractors locally. This project also creates local jobs for welders and other workers.
“When I heard about the KIC Program, I decided to apply, Through the seed funding we won, we have been able to build a tractor and now I’m happy that we are able to support farmers in our community to plough and also be gainfully employed through our start-up, Agnes said.”
Grow For Me operates commodities and input financing, aggregation, and trading platforms. It allows individuals to engage in farming and commodity trade. Nana Opoku Agyeman-Prempeh, co-founder and CEO of Grow For Me, discusses how funding support from KIC’s partners has allowed the start-up to expand their commodities trading company and provide input financing to rice farmers in Asutuare.
“We opted to collaborate with KIC to benefit from their talents, network, expertise, and partnerships. We have been able to significantly increase our business while simultaneously creating job possibilities for young people.
Speaking about the impact of KIC, Benjamin Gyan-Kesse, Executive Director of KIC, stated that KIC’s commitment to reforming the agricultural sector through youth employment has resulted in the establishment of 64 firms through KIC’s activities.
KIC remains committed to developing scalable business ideas in agriculture by enabling young people to realize the sector’s prospects. KIC start-ups that have completed the KIC program include Agro Innova, Complete Farmer, Agro Empire, Jaasgrow, and Agrimercarb, among others. Since 2016, KIC has helped over 60 startups go from idea to launch.
