Young, African, agritech innovators will be meeting in Kigali next month for what’s expected to be an inspiring showcase of cutting-edge, tech-driven solutions by young people transforming the agricultural sector.

Heifer International, a global nonprofit working to end hunger and poverty through sustainable agriculture, announced that the inaugural AYuTe Next Gen gathering will be held on June 11, 2024. Themed ‘Reimagining Africa’s Agriculture for the next 50’, the inaugural AYuTe Next Gen will bring together young agritech innovators and agripreneurs from across Africa, as well as stakeholders in the continent’s agriculture and youth development sectors.

The Agriculture, Youth, and Technology (AYuTe) Africa Next Gen is an initiative by Heifer International working with partners to harness the boundless potential of the continent’s youth, innovation, and entrepreneurship to address real challenges faced by smallholder farmers while delivering solutions that can revolutionize the agriculture sector.

Launched in 2021, the initiative has generated a huge response. Some of the winning solutions have gone on to make a real difference in the continent’s agricultural development.

This year, Heifer International is celebrating 80 years of supporting smallholder farmers globally and 50 years in Africa, creating and executing solutions in partnerships with governments, donors, partners, and communities to improve the agricultural ecosystem across the continent.

To mark these major milestones, Heifer will use the AYuTe Next Gen gathering to inspire a new generation of young agripreneurs and innovators throughout Africa, driving a forward-looking vision for the next 50 years of agricultural transformation on the continent.

“The AYuTe Next Gen gathering provides agripreneurs, policymakers, investors, innovators, and other key stakeholders with the opportunity to witness young African innovators in agriculture pitching their ideas as we seek to identify and reward the top performers with cash prizes and the technical support they need to scale their innovations,” said Adesuwa Ifedi, Senior Vice President, Africa Programs, Heifer International. “It is also a platform for young agripreneurs to lead important conversations, share knowledge, and forge partnerships with critical stakeholders to drive progress towards a more secure and sustainable food system in Africa.”

Winners from AYuTe national competitions in several countries will be at the conference to compete for top regional prizes. These finalists, identified from entries sent in by all the participating countries, were shortlisted after an initial screening and technical assessment. At the AYuTe Next Gen gathering, their innovations will be scrutinized by a panel of competent judges, and winners will be selected and announced.

“Every innovator within the AYuTe ecosystem is a winner, and our ongoing collaborations with them, which present us with front-row seats to the impact of their tech-driven solutions for smallholder farmers’ challenges, constantly remind us of this,” said Dayo Aduroja, Africa Youth and Innovation Lead, Heifer International. “The AYuTe Next Gen gathering is another opportunity for stakeholders and partners to see what we see and join us in supporting the bringing to market of home-grown technology and innovation that powers our smallholder farmers to increased productivity and incomes.”

To register for AYuTe Next Gen, please visit https://ayute.africa/ayute-next-gen-2024