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Ghanaian agric startup, SAYeTECH, has won the 2024 edition of the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST) Africa Challenge, pocketing $50,000 in equity funding to scale its operations.
MEST, a pan-African software and entrepreneurship training programme, seed fund, and incubator, had, in September, opened applications for the sixth edition of the Africa Challenge in collaboration with the Norwegian Embassy.
According to African News Watch, this year’s edition of the challenge had a specific sector focus, offering agri-tech startups the opportunity to “Find Their Soil” by providing critical support, funding, and mentorship.
The MEST Challenge attracted applicants from key markets in the West African region including Benin, Cape Verde, Côte D’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Mali, and Togo, where six finalists were selected to pitch their solutions at a grand final held in Accra.
In the final round, SAYeTECH which develops innovative agricultural machinery tailored to African conditions, won the grand prize for its innovative agricultural machinery tailored to African conditions.
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SAYeTECH founder, Theodore Ohene-Botchway, who spoke on the success of the startup, said:
“The funding will enable us to scale production and reduce delivery lead times, providing smallholder farmers with the equipment they need to increase productivity.”
Commenting on the competition which is designed to provide the ideal environment for tech innovators and startups to grow and succeed, Ashwin Ravichandran, Portfolio Advisor, MEST Africa, enthused:
“AgriTech innovation thrives when it’s rooted in the right environment. ‘Find Your Soil’ is about helping innovators find the ecosystem where they can grow.”
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