Strathmore Research and Consultancy Centre(SRCC) awarded certificates to 11 agripreneurs during the 2022 Generation Africa Fellowship Program(GAFP) virtual graduation on 8th December. Earlier in the year, SRCC won the GAFP tender and was contracted to equip selected high-potential SMEs from Africa with tangible skills and knowledge to strengthen their businesses towards sustainable growth. The selected agripreneurs that formed the first cohort of GAFP were:
- Fily Keita- Agrowomen (Mali)
- Diana Orembe- NovFeed (Tanzania)
- Jolenta Joseph- Sanavita Company Limited (Tanzania)
- Nana Yaw Antwi-Boasiako- ProSect Feed Ltd.(Ghana)
- Gabriel Eze- Rural Farmers Hub (Nigeria)
- Emem Okon Essein- Crop2Cash (Nigeria)
- Nshimiyimana Alexandre- Sanit Wing(Rwanda)
- Baraka Jeremiah Chijenga- Kilimofresh Foods Africa Limited (Tanzania)
- Nomaliso Musasiwa- Fresh In A Box (Zimbabwe)
- Ore Alemede- GrowAgric (Kenya)
- Jeffrey Appiagyei- Sayetech Company Limited (Ghana)
Sponsored by Bayer, GAFP is an initiative with a vision to strengthen the ecosystem for youth entrepreneurs in the agri-food sector across Africa. The graduation ceremony was attended by representatives from the sponsors, Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa(AGRA), African Green Revolution Forum(AGRF), Generation Africa, SRCC consultants, and the 11 agripreneurs. The GAFP Fellows shared their experiences during the ceremony. “Thanks to the Generation Africa Fellowship Programme, my business is investor ready. With guidance from my mentor from SRCC, I pitched & won the MEDA 10,000 USD grant,” said Diana Orembe.
Graduation remarks
Jolenta Joseph said, “The SRCC consultants helped review our market reports and refine our business plan. Now we can grow our market share!” Most of the agripreneurs in this cohort also spoke of the various skills they gained from the consultants; marketing, accounting, business pitching, and financial modeling. Some agreed that the SRCC consultants opened their eyes to several aspects around financial modeling because “investors not only want to hear your impact story but also your financial story,” said Gabriel Eze.
Giving his remarks was Dickson Naftali, Head of GAFP, who said, “Special thanks to the SRCC team of consultants for the job well done. You listened to the agripreneurs’ needs and navigated their business challenges together. You have been a good partner indeed.” Nele Herrmann Valente, Head of Stakeholder Affairs & Strategic Partnerships (SASP) at Bayer Crop Science, congratulated the GAFP fellows; “Congratulations to all our amazing GAFP Fellows. As sponsor, we are proud to see the Generation Africa Fellowship Program has already catalyzed growth in your agribusinesses. Let it be the first success of many.”
In her closing remarks, Christine Owande, Managing Director, SRCC said,”Partnering with Generation Africa on this project has been a gift to the GAFP fellows. Our consultants committed their time, skills and knowledge into challenging the agripreneurs to work towards enhancing the sustainable growth of their start-ups. We are proud to contribute to the betterment of the agricultural sector in Africa through transfer of knowledge.”
This article was written by Odhiambo Obonyo
