Ghana’s youth entrepreneurs, utilising technology and innovation to transform agriculture, have again been the focus of the 2025 AgriTech Challenge Pro, which was announced on Thursday.
This year, 22 youth-led startups received funding ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 to scale their agribusiness solutions, with the top prize of $25,000 awarded to PureLube, a startup producing industrial lubricants from cashew shells.
The event, held at KNUST Business School in Kumasi, showcased cutting-edge agritech and food innovation solutions from 44 entrepreneurial teams, emphasizing the transformative role of youth in agriculture.
Youth-Led Innovation driving agribusiness growth
The AgriTech Challenge Pro is a five-month accelerator program organized by the Kosmos Innovation Center (KIC) in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation. It is designed to motivate young entrepreneurs between 18 and 35 to create technology-driven, scalable solutions that address obstacles throughout the agricultural value chain, including production, marketing, and distribution.
RelatedPosts
This year’s program, under the Initiative for Youth in Agricultural Transformation (IYAT), attracted 61 startups from 16 academic institutions, reflecting Ghana’s youth’s growing interest and capacity in agribusiness.
Benjamin Gyan-Kesse, Executive Director of KIC, emphasized the program’s role in empowering youth to create employment and sustainable ventures. He noted that over 10,000 beneficiaries have been impacted by the AgriTech Challenge since its inception, with more than 60 businesses developed from ideation to setup through KIC’s support.
The program offers specialized coaching, mentorship, and access to technical expertise, ensuring startups are investor-ready and capable of scaling their innovations.
Funding and mentorship fuelling Agritech success stories
The 2025 edition culminated in a final pitch event where ten startups received funding and progressed into the KIC Business Incubation Program. This incubation phase provides ongoing mentorship, networking opportunities, and infrastructure support to refine their business models and enhance market readiness.
Among the winners, PureLube aims to reduce Ghana’s lubricant importation by producing industrial lubricants locally from cashew shells, while Tomavi Wines plans to empower smallholder tomato farmers and produce nutritious, low-cholesterol wine.
The Mastercard Foundation’s involvement underscores a strategic focus on youth entrepreneurship in agriculture, with 80-90 percent of its Ghana portfolio centered on agribusiness. Gottfried Odamtten-Sowah, Head of Entrepreneurship at the Foundation, highlighted the importance of such initiatives in building a vibrant ecosystem that nurtures young agripreneurs and drives economic growth.
The AgriTech Challenge Pro continues to inspire young Ghanaians to innovate and transform agriculture, creating new pathways for employment and sustainable development in the sector.