Applications open for fifth $100,000 GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition
With the launch of the Gogettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition’s 2023 edition by Generation Africa (https://GoGettaz.Africa), youth-run agri-food businesses in Africa are once again in the spotlight. The application period is May 8 through June 19, 2023. At the AGRF Summit, which will take place this year in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in September, the tournament will climax in a thrilling final pitch contest performed live on stage. A game-changing US$50,000 will be given to each of two young African entrepreneurs—a male and a woman—to hasten their ascent to scale.
The GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition has grown to become the largest annual agripreneurship competition in Africa as Generation Africa celebrates its fifth birthday. Generation Africa seeks to encourage millions of young people to pursue careers in the rapidly developing agrifood industry by discovering and assisting innovative, high-potential agribusinesses. A customized Generation Africa Fellowship Programme (GAFP), carefully selected scholarship possibilities, advocacy platforms, and more are just a few of the organization’s assistance initiatives that are constantly expanding.
“The biggest and most significant opportunity in Africa is in agriculture. We encourage African youth to seize this chance with both hands, especially given the influence of developing technology in the field, said Dickson Naftali, Head of Generation Africa. “A strong, African-led agrifood sector is our best hope for a prosperous continent free from hunger and malnutrition,” he emphasized. However, we must expand our agrifood sector more effectively, sustainably, and ethically.
All African agripreneurs with innovative and scalable agrifood enterprises who are the founders or cofounders and are between the ages of 18 and 35 are eligible to enter. The GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition aims to hasten the development of agribusinesses with the ability to guarantee food security and offer respectable employment through the use of top mentors, a network of international industry leaders, and a growing community. Both the applicants’ citizenship and the location of their corporate headquarters must be in Africa. Applicants can visit http://GoGettaz.Africa for additional details and to enter the competition.
Twelve finalists will be invited to present their enterprises to a panel of knowledgeable judges following the semi-final stage. The AGRF Agribusiness Deal Room will also be made accessible to finalists so they can expand their network of possible partners, investors, and collaborators. The AGRF Summit will also host the prize presentation. In addition to the two $50,000 grand prizes, four creative companies will receive Impact Awards worth US$2,500 each for their work in promoting climate entrepreneurship, food security, poverty reduction, and/or job creation in their local communities.
“In just five years, the GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition has become a critical platform for identifying and supporting young African entrepreneurs who are audaciously launching businesses in the agrifood sector,” stated Dr. Agnes Kalibata, president of AGRA. In the process, they build riches for themselves and their families and stimulate the continent’s economy. We look forward to seeing the creative and scaleable solutions that the upcoming crop of agripreneurs develops.
Svein Tore Holsether, president and chief executive officer of Yara International and co-founder and ambassador of Generation Africa, said, “Capacity-building and empowering farmers and agri-entrepreneurs, especially women and young people, is critical if Africa and the rest of the world are to achieve a food future that is positive for nature. The GoGettaz Competition and Generation Africa are crucial in supporting the sharpest minds on this continent who are promoting regional and global, sustainable food security.
Strive Masiyiwa, Founder and Executive Chairman of Econet Group and Cassava Technologies and Co-Founder of Generation Africa, said, “When Svein Tore and I first talked about involving youngsters in Africa’s agrifood sector, we hadn’t yet faced a worldwide pandemic or significant disruptions in the food supply chain. Our young African entrepreneurs are now inventing new agribusiness models, harnessing the potential of agritech and cutting-edge food science technology to generate new markets and prosperity as the fastest expanding populace on the planet. They are amazing. There is still a long way to go, but the goal is for Africa to become a net exporter of food, not the opposite.
“The agrifood sector is the key,” Dickson Naftali continued. “Jobs, food security, cutting-edge technology, professional development, resilient communities, even minimizing the consequences of climate change are all provided by one sector. Africa will change if our young people realize the opportunity this sector offers them. It moves quickly.
In the African agrifood industry, the GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition has established itself as a mainstay. This year’s campaign is calling for entries from young entrepreneurs on Facebook (https://apo-opa.info/3pl0UwB), Instagram (https://apo-opa.info/3M52QlC), Twitter (https://apo-opa.info/3LJDkRn), and LinkedIn (https://apo-opa.info/42vNM5V), and goes live along with the annual survey (https://apo-opa.info/42B078Q), a valuable tool to align and motivate stakeholder engagement and programme focus. Generation Africa is eager to help even more young people reach their potential in 2023 thanks to the assistance and knowledge of its founders and partners. To enter, candidates should go to http://GoGettaz.Africa.
