AYuTe Africa Challenge Nigeria
Compete for a chance to win a share of $40,000 in the AYuTe Nigeria Challenge.
About the Challenge
The AYuTe Africa Challenge Nigeria is an enterprise development program initiated by Heifer International and implemented by Wennovation Hub to identify, nurture, and support innovative, relevant and technology-driven agric-centric enterprises to grow, scale and thrive.
Candidates should be early-stage or growth-stage youth-led agritech businesses/companies with innovative solutions impacting smallholder farmers at scale.
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Winner: Ifeoluwa Olatayo – Soupah Farm-En-Market Limited – $10,000
Innovation: Deploying USSD short code to aggregate market participants, find buyers for farmers’ produce and deliver it to retailers’ doorstep at affordable prices.1st Runner-up: Rejoice – Amarachi Usim - Simkay Foods Limited – $6,000
Innovation: Vertical Sack Farming—a low-cost technology for planting crops into the sides and tops of large sacks of soil, enabling farmers to grow several crops in a relatively small space by taking advantage of the vertical growth of plants.2nd Runner-up: Stephen Obe – Evet Technology – $4,000
Innovation: Smart technology innovation that improves farm productivity and prevents pre-harvest wastages.
“I am excited that my enterprise emerged 1st place in this 2022 AYuTe Nigeria Challenge. The $10,000 prize will allow us to establish a better supply chain for small-scale farmers aimed at increasing the income of over 7,000 farmers and connecting over 18,000 tons of food to market.” - Ifeoluwa Olatayo
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Winner: Tajuddeen Yahaya - Extension Africa $10,000
1st Runner Up: Segun Adegun - Rural Farmers Hub $6,000
2nd Runner Up: Chinwendu Nweke - Bridge Merchant $4,000
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Applicants must:
Be aged 18-35 by the closing day of submission to the AYuTe Nigeria challenge
Be a youth with innovative ideas focusing on the agriculture sector
Have ideas that are proven to solve social problems and are implementable, technically feasible, economically sound (affordable), and environmentally smart (eco-friendly)
Hold Nigerian nationality with official ID (national identity card, international passport, or permanent voters’ card)
Produce financial statements for the venture
Be the founder or co-founder of the enterprise represented in the competition and play an active role in its operations and leadership
Have no criminal record related to corruption, tax evasion, financial impropriety, felony or other offences
Have the potential for partnership and collaboration with other actors/stakeholders
The company must have:
Been registered/incorporated with the relevant government agencies in Nigeria
The ability to scale and impact a large number of smallholder farmers, including recorded evidence of demonstrated impact on smallholder farmers’ revenue and/or operations
The potential for job creation and poverty reduction
Alignment with relevant national policies and international treaties (e.g., SDGs)
An identifiable technological innovation that addresses the following problems for smallholder farmers:
Smallholder farmer productivity
Smallholder farmer income
Labour intensiveness of operations
Resilience
Access to information
Strong competitive advantage
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The application period will be open from 17th July to 31st July, 2023, by 5pm WAT.
NOTE: You are required to follow us on social media @heifernigeria and @AyuteAfrica
This application form can be accessed on the Web.
To access the form, follow the links provided below.
Applicants will receive a confirmation message for their application after submission by email/SMS.
Any queries? Please contact info@wennovationhub.org
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The application period will run from 14th May to 31st May, 2024. This will be followed by the identification of the top-10 agritech innovators and the second stage will identify the top-5 agritech innovators. The top three enterprises will be awarded cash prizes at a pitch and awards ceremony.
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Who runs the AYuTe Africa Challenge Nigeria? The AYuTe Africa Challenge Nigeria is an enterprise development program initiated by Heifer International and implemented by Wennovation Hub.
How long will the challenge run? The challenge will run for three months, during which three agritech innovators to be awarded the top prizes (winner, first runner-up, second runner-up).
Who can apply for this challenge? The CEOs or Co-founders of agritech businesses/companies in Nigeria, however, ONLY ONE individual can represent a business/company.
How many stages are there? The first stage of the challenge will identify the top 10 agritech innovators. The second stage will identify the top 5 agritech innovators. The top three enterprises will be awarded cash prizes at a pitch and awards ceremony.
Is the competition only open to registered Nigerian businesses? Yes, only enterprises already registered in Nigeria or currently being registered are eligible to apply for this program.
What stage of businesses can apply? Enterprises in early-stage start-up (fewer than three years old). Priority will be given to start-ups with a minimum viable product (MVP) but with no previous experience in an enterprise support program (incubation or acceleration programs etc.).
What documents are required to apply? Before you begin your registration, please have the following materials ready:
Soft copy of any National Official ID (national identity card, international passport, driver’s license, or temporary/permanent voters’ card)
Soft copy of a clear headshot photo
What if I do not have all the required materials ready before the application deadline? Your application can be submitted and reviewed; however, you MUST provide the required documents/materials one month before the grand finale if your business/company makes it to the top 10 agritech innovators.
What kind of innovations do you expect the enterprises to be providing? Your enterprise should be providing an innovative agritech solution that responds to the needs of the agri-value chain at various levels (e.g., production, aggregation, post-harvest losses, value addition, marketplace, financing etc.).
What program benefits do enterprises receive through the program? Challenge applicants can expect to receive the following benefits:
Coaching and mentorship, personalized to unpack training into business implementation for the top-5 finalists
Technical assistance at the various levels of the challenge to strengthen the MVP and the business and financial model of the start-up
Links to financial and investment opportunities
Networking opportunities to showcase your solution and meet with investors and other stakeholders
Cash prize awards of a total of $20,000 for the top three winners:
Winner: $10,000
First Runner-Up: $6,000
Second Runner-Up: $4,000
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1. By entering this challenge, you accept and agree to the following terms and conditions which will govern the competition. Furthermore, you verify that you are unaware of any reason legally prohibiting you from entering this competition and, if the competition requires the submission of photographs, artwork or images of people, or of anything else that requires consent or copyright, that you have the necessary consent and authority to do so, if required. Any entrant who contravenes these rules may be disqualified from the competition. The rules can only be modified by AYuTe Nigeria in a written revision posted on the challenge application page or any other official challenge communication methods.
2. This is a digitally and in-person run competition. Only entries received online via the AYuTe Nigeria official application page will be accepted.
3. This challenge is an initiative of Heifer Nigeria and implemented by Wennovation Hub.
4. You may only enter this challenge if you meet the eligibility criteria as seen on the application page.
5. You may only enter this challenge if you are a citizen and permanent resident of Nigeria between the ages of 18 and 35 years. The winners will be required to present a valid Nigerian ID document in order to accept the prize. It is the winner’s responsibility to collect the prize from Heifer Nigeria.
6. The application process will run from 17 July - 31 September, 2023. Late or incomplete entries will not be accepted. No responsibility will be accepted for entries lost, delayed or damaged in transmission. Entries reflected on the AYuTe Nigeria records will be treated as the only validation source and will be the only evidence of successful entries.
7. To enter the challenge: Fill the application form and submit before the closing date on 16 September, 2022.
8. There will cash prize awards of a total of $20,000 for the top three winners. The overall winner will be awarded $10,000, the first runner-up will be awarded $6,000 and the second runner-up will be awarded $4,000.
9. The naira equivalent of the cash prize, at Heifer’s official exchange rate, will be received by the winner. The cash prize is neither negotiable nor transferable.
10. The judging process will take place in 3 stages. The first stage of the challenge will identify the top-10 agritech innovators and the second stage will identify the top-5 agritech innovators. The top three enterprises will be awarded cash prizes at a pitch and awards ceremony.
11. If you make it to the top-10 agritech innovators list, you will be asked to record a video introducing yourself and demonstrating how the proposed innovation works; what problem it seeks to solve; how it can potentially translate into meaningful impact for smallholder farmers across the country and how much money you would need to bring it to life. The video submitted must not be longer than 2 minutes. It must have clear audio and must be shared in MP4 Format.
12. The top-5 agritech innovators will be contacted via email/SMS to partake in a mentorship program bootcamp in Abuja before the grand finale.
13. The three winners will be invited for media interview tours.
14. The judges’ decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
15. AYuTe Nigeria will try to contact the winners for 30 days following the grand finale. If the winner cannot be contacted or does not respond to messages within that period of time, or chooses to decline the prize, then their prize will be forfeited and another winner will be drawn as soon as possible.
16. By entering this challenge, the entrant consents that the AYuTe Nigeria may use names and images taken of the winners for publicity purposes, without any further remuneration being payable to the winner. The winner may decline to participate in any promotional activity by notifying the AYuTe Nigeria in writing before completing the application form. All promotional material will become the sole property of AYuTe Nigeria.
17. You may not enter the challenge if you are a director, member, partner, employee, tenant (or employee of a tenant), agent, consultant or supplier to Heifer Nigeria, Wennovation Hub and Brandi Limited, or the irrespective spouses, partners, family members (parents, siblings and children), business partners or associates.
18. Participants in this challenge hereby indemnify, release and hold harmless AYuTe Nigeria and their successors, employees, officers, suppliers, contractors, agents, consultants, directors and shareholders from and against any losses, claims, proceedings, actions, damages, liability for harm, injury or death, demands, expenses or any costs howsoever arising out of their participation in this challenge or their use of the prizes, and/or any person with whom they share that prize.
19. These terms and conditions shall be subject to the laws of Nigeria.
20. This challenge is not in any way affiliated to and/or an initiative of the Nigerian Government.
21. Participants understand and agree that in order to offer the challenge, AYuTe Nigeria must collect and use personal information about participants.
22. AYuTe Nigeria reserve the right to cancel, modify or amend the challenge at any time if deemed necessary in their own opinion or if circumstances arise outside of their control.
