Grand Prize Winner: $3,000.00

Luvo Gugwana

South Africa

Luvo Gugwana is a dynamic leader and visionary with a passion for sustainable agriculture, infrastructure, finance, and investment for sustainable livelihood development for rural communities. He has over a decade of experience in social entrepreneurship, smart agriculture, and civic leadership. At the helm of Green Arch Innovation, Luvo spearheads initiatives poised to revolutionize agriculture through the adoption of cutting-edge technologies, robust infrastructure, and IoT integration. Central to the enterprise's mission is the advancement of aquaponics systems, addressing imperatives such as food security, human capital development, and climate-resilient farming practices. His background includes leadership and strategic development, ICT, and agriculture. He also sits as the chairperson of Youth in Agriculture and Rural Development (KZNYARD) in South Africa. Luvo is deeply committed to social impact, having volunteered with several organizations dedicated to addressing the needs of vulnerable communities. Luvo actively champions programs aimed at equipping women and youth with agricultural skills, fostering entrepreneurship, and unlocking employment opportunities. Luvo also holds a Bachelor of Health Sciences in Medical Orthotics and Prosthetics and is driven by a passion for value creation and positive change in the agricultural and food sectors. Based in South Africa, Luvo's impassioned pursuit of introducing aquaponics systems to rural communities resonates through his participation in the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders, where he seeks to leverage his expertise to foster growth and innovation within his ecosystem. Post-Fellowship, Luvo is poised to harness his expertise, skills, and networks to scale Green Arch Innovation's impact and forge collaborative ventures aimed at catalyzing sustainable agricultural practices globally. See pitch slides here.

Runner Up: $1,500.00

Raissa Alaoy

Madagascar

Raïssa has over ten years of experience in socio-economic surveys and community engagement, particularly within the renewable energy and agriculture sectors in Madagascar. Since 2023, she has been assuming the role of Head of Energy Applications at ANKA, a pioneer of mini-grid company in Madagascar. In this role, she is leading strategic initiatives aimed at enhancing the productive uses of energy and contributing to the development of e-cooking solutions in rural areas. Raïssa is the co-developer of the innovative AgriGrid© concept (https://enaccess.org/agrigrid/), an Agriculture-Energy nexus model designed to enhance climate resilience for rural communities. Passionate about rural development since childhood and eager to create an impact in rural villages, she pursued university studies in social sciences and holds a Master's degree in Population and Development. Upon completion of the Mandela Washington Fellowship, she plans to continue her work to advance renewable energy solutions and foster agricultural development to empower communities across Africa. She remains convinced that powering agriculture with clean energy is a sustainable path to rural community development. See pitch slides here.

Peoples Choice: $500.00

Fatoumata B. Sonka

Senegal

Fatoumata B. Sonko has over 3 years of experience in food technology and child nutrition. Fatou is the co-founder of Dugub Snack and Patat'innov, companies focusing on creating delicious nutritious snacks from locally-sourced ingredients for children. Fatou holds a Master's degree in Food Science and Technology. Recent laureate of the UNICEF Nutrition Hackathon and Alumni of the Academy of Women Entrepreneurship, Fatou is driven by her passion for child nutrition and her commitment to positively impact it with endogenous resources. Upon completion of the Mandela Washington Fellowship, Fatou plans to expand her company and engage in her community to solidify her impact on Nutrition in the West African Region. (Pitch slides pending).

Grand Prize Winner: $3,000.00

Bora Imani

Rwanda

Imani Bora is a visionary entrepreneur with over a decade of experience in academia and startup entrepreneurship. As the founder and CEO of HatchPlus, he has spearheaded the development of groundbreaking digital solutions in Rwanda's agricultural sector. With ten years of academic expertise in electronics and embedded systems, Imani brings a deep understanding of technology to his entrepreneurial ventures. Over the past eight years, he has leveraged this knowledge to mentor aspiring entrepreneurs, guiding over 80 undergraduate students to transform their engineering skills into successful startup ventures. Through his visionary leadership, Imani has not only driven innovation but also facilitated economic growth, with his ventures creating over 150 job opportunities. With a relentless commitment to innovation and social impact, Imani Bora continues to pave the way for a brighter future in Rwanda's agricultural landscape. See pitch slides here.

Runner Up: $1,500.00

Roberta Oyedokun

Nigeria

Roberta Edu is the founder of Moppet Foods. At Moppet, we’re dedicated to giving little ones the best start in life by offering 100% natural, nutritious meals made with farm-fresh produce sourced from small organic farmers in Nigeria. Her commitment to sustainability extends beyond the plate, employing eco-friendly production methods to keep the environment green, supporting sustainable agriculture, and empowering small-scale farmers and women in rural areas. Roberta believes in the transformative power of wholesome nutrition, understanding that the food we consume shapes our well-being, and children should never have to eat food made with artificial sugar and additives. Before starting Moppet, she worked as Director of Technology & Digital Transformation at Dentsu, a world-class Advertising agency where she utilizes technology for everyday solutions, her passion lies in cloud technology, and digital innovation, seamlessly integrating technology into business operations to revolutionize core methods and elevate customer experiences. As the founder of Moppet Foods, Roberta is leading a movement towards healthy food accessibility, and fresh, natural, and convenient children’s meals, addressing the alarming dearth of healthy options in today’s food landscape. See pitch slides here.

Peoples Choice: $500.00

Teslem Meissa

Mauritania

Teslem Meissa student with a Master's in logistics and supply chain in Tunisia, holds a master's degree in economic analysis and a license degree in logistics and transport and has over 6 years of administrative assistant experience. Teslem is an entrepreneur inventor of “SAHA COFEE” a coffee substitute made by date’s pits, she is the founder of a food processing company that works on collecting date’s seed and recycling it. Teslem has won several prizes such as:

• The Best Inventor in Africa prize dedicated by OAPI in the 2023 Invention and Innovative Business Fair in Cote d'Ivoire,
• The winner of WIA2022 “Women in Africa, a program that identifies remarkable African women entrepreneurs who lead the business with high growth potential”,
• The winner of the best product issued from date dedicated by KHALIFA INTERNATIONAL FOR DATE AND AGRICULTURE in 2022,
• The youngest businesswoman in 2021, by the Federation of Leading Women in Mauritania
• Named in the Griot 2021 “United Nation Newsletter for the Sahel” among the 10 inspiring young actors from the Sahel, she represented the Sahel in general and Mauritania in particular in different countries as a young activist leader in the sector of promoting female entrepreneurship and highlight investment opportunities in the Sahel.

After returning home Teslem plans to learn transferable skills that she can spread and transfer through her community, expand her professional networks with people who can serve her professionally, promote local production, and extend it to be exhibited worldwide. See pitch slides here.

Technology and Innovation Prize Winner: $3,000.00

Helina Teklu

Ethiopia

Helina has a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from EiABC (Ethiopian Institute of Architecture, Building Construction, and City Development) and a Higher Certificate in Entrepreneurship from Regent Business School in South Africa. Helina is an East African Earth Champion for Climate change, Youth Ambassador for the 'My Future My Voice' campaign by Earthday.org, and has won Regional Climate Action Awards (Climate Neutral Now and Women for Results) in 2021. She is an Alumni of YALIRLCEA (Civic Leadership track), Tony Elumelu Foundation, Connect4Climate (C4C), Climate Reality Leader, WE4A, and a Laureate for Women Entrepreneur in Africa (WIA54) program. From 2019 - 2021, Helina served as the Networking and Events Chair for the YALIRLCEA Ethiopian chapter. Helina has 4 years of experience as a Junior Architect and Interior Designer (Furniture design). From 2018 - 2021, She worked as the CEO of Seed Bomb Ethiopia and recently opened her own company called Seed Balls Ethiopia where she fights deforestation and food insecurity in Ethiopia with the help of Seed Balls. Seed balls are marble-sized balls of clay, earth, compost, and seeds. Helina is also the founder of the Ethiopian Women and Youth Climate Assembly (EWYCA). EWYCA is a platform that aims to elevate the voices and perspectives of Ethiopian women and youth in addressing climate change and environmental issues. See pitch slides here.