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PRESS RELEASE: HEIFER INTERNATIONAL KENYA LAUNCH
THE 2024 AYUTE AFRICA CHALLENGE
KENYA

The competition continues to translate the energy and ideas of young
Kenyan agri-tech innovators into meaningful impact for smallholder
farmers

Nairobi, Kenya (14th June 2024)– Heifer International Kenya has officially launched the
2024 AYuTe Africa Challenge. AYuTe which stands for Agriculture, Youth, Technology aims
to create opportunities for young entrepreneurs to propel agriculture transformation, catalyze
ground-up innovation from the youth, and make agriculture a desired career for the future.
Through AYuTe, youth-led agritech innovations in Kenya get the opportunity to pitch for
investment in their businesses to boost the income and productivity of smallholder farmers.

The 2024 edition marks the third iteration of the AYuTe Africa Challenge Kenya. The theme of
the competition is “Reimagining the Future of African Agriculture”, a bold call to action for young
innovators to acquire the skills and resources necessary to thrive in their businesses.

Since its inception in 2022, AYuTe Africa Challenge in Kenya has registered over 400
applications, over 230 youth-led agritech innovations have received coaching and mentorship
while over 10 startups have been awarded cash-prize worth over $40,000 to translate aggressive
business expansion strategies that impact smallholder farmers “This competition provides an
opportunity for young innovators in Kenya to secure the funding and visibility they need to
scale up their agritech solutions to reach millions of farmers across Kenya,” says William
Matovu, Country Director of Heifer International Kenya. “AYUTE is a very innovative vehicle
that can identify innovative agritech with transformative solutions that can change the face of
the agricultural sector, we look forward to receiving applications, and even more so, to seeing
many more young women participating in the competition,” he adds.

One of the 2023 edition winners, Maryann Gichanga, CEO and Founder of AgriTech
Analytics, is encouraging young aspiring agritech entrepreneurs to apply for this year’s
challenge. Her business provides farmers with precise, real-time data on soil health, crop
conditions, and weather forecasts. “The AYuTe Africa Challenge provided me invaluable
training that taught me how to run my enterprise efficiently, connected me with key
partners, and provided me with the much-needed funding to upscale it” she says. 

The 2024 edition will focus on enterprises with innovative agri-tech solutions
responding to the needs of the agri-value chain at various levels, such as production,
aggregation, post-harvest loss management, value addition, access to markets, and
financing. In addition, four regions will be targeted to ensure comprehensive national
representation. These regions include Nairobi, the Central Regional Economic Bloc, the Lake
Region Economic Bloc, the North Rift Economic Bloc, and Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL)
counties.

The awards for the competition include a cash prize of up to KSh 3.5 million for the top winners.
Through the E4Impact Accelerator, the top 20 innovators will undergo a one-month incubation
program among other benefits such as linkage to investment, networking, training, coaching,
and mentorship opportunities. Additionally, the winners will be integrated into the E4Impact
Alumni community which will provide them with valuable networking opportunities and
ongoing support even after completion of the program.

Applications will be received through an online platform in two categories. The first category,
Track 1, is for enterprises at the idea, proof of concept, and prototyping stages. The second
category, Track 2, is for enterprises at the product stage aiming to scale up their businesses.
The application deadline is 7
th, July 2024, 11.59 PM EAT.

ABOUT HEIFER INTERNATIONAL:

Since 1944, Heifer International has worked with more than 43 million families around the
world to end hunger and poverty in a sustainable way. Working with rural communities across
Africa for 50 years, Heifer International supports farmers and local food producers to
strengthen local economies and build secure livelihoods that provide a living income. For
information, visit https://www.heifer.org.

ABOUT E4IMPACT ACCELERATOR:

Funded by the Italian Agency for Development Co-operation and the European Union in
Kenya, the E4Impact Foundation launched the E4Impact Accelerator which works with Kenyan
businesses to grow their business, scale their impact, facilitate investment fundraising &
provide market linkages to international markets. Its main aim is to enhance the sustainable
development of fast-growing economies by training impact entrepreneurs and scaling the
growth of their businesses. E4Impact currently offers its programs in 22 African countries with
a goal of training over 3,000 entrepreneurs and establishing 1,000 new enterprises and
thousands of new jobs in the formal economy. For more information, visit
https://www.e4iaccelerator.org/

MEDIA CONTACT:

Francis Mwangi

Communications Officer-Heifer Kenya Francis.

Email: mwangi@heifer.org

Tel:+254721659024