Focusing on everything from e-commerce, to information, to supply chain management, to IoT, 82 African agri-tech startups are spread widely across the continent, a new report has stated.
According to the ‘Agrinnovating for Africa: Exploring the African Agri-Tech Startup Ecosystem Report 2018’, in all, 16 African countries play host to tech startups active in the agricultural space.
The leading markets are Nigeria and Kenya, who jointly account for 46.4 per cent of the total amount of startups. Ghana is next with 14.7 per cent. These top three markets make up 61.1 per cent of the overall total.
But there is also significant activity elsewhere. South Africa has 12.2 per cent of Africa’s agri-tech startups, while Uganda and Zimbabwe each have four. There are also startups in The Gambia, Zambia, Botswana, Tanzania, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Somalia, Egypt, Mali and Cameroon.
Kenya’s pioneering role
Kenya was the pioneer of agri-tech in Africa. Back in 2010-2011, the continent’s first wave of agri-tech startups sprung up in the East African country, carving out a new niche for innovation.
A country where farming is deeply entrenched in the national identity - everyone owns, or aspires to own, a shamba - Kenyan entrepreneurs personally understood the obstacles to prosperous farming and set about addressing them using the increasingly prevalent mobile and online technologies available.
Related coverage: Developing agriculture
A new genre of information and knowledge sharing platform was born: even the rural subsistence farmer could get answers to his farming concerns via SMS and save or improve his harvest; smallholder farmers suddenly had access to new markets at fair prices via the internet, rather than relying on sly middlemen.
By the end of 2013, entrepreneurs in a couple of other countries had begun to join the party. Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Ghana and South Africa had all seen the odd agri-tech startup launch; but still seven of the 13 agri-tech startups operating in Africa were based in Kenya.
While Kenya has continued to boast a strong agri-tech entrepreneurship space in the following years, since 2015 West Africa - Nigeria in particular - has suddenly come onboard.
Between 2015 and 2017, 16 agri-tech startups launched in Nigeria (only three pre-date 2015). Nigeria now ties with Kenya for the number of agri-tech startups active in the two countries; and will almost certainly overtake Kenya by the end of 2018 given the sheer rate of new ventures launching.
Next door to Nigeria, Ghana has quietly developed its own agri-tech market - the third largest on the continent.
And so, while Kenya might be to thank for the emergence of agri-tech in Africa, West Africa seems to be taking over the reins.
Latest Stories
-
Yaw Nsarkoh: Bit by bit we will understand China
4 hours -
Looted and returned: Asante royal artefacts on display for public viewing at Manhyia Museum
5 hours -
Suspected killer in Kasoa land dispute shooting not a National Security operative
5 hours -
Ghana appoint four Para Athletics coaches in Preparation for Paris 2024
5 hours -
Kumasi Cheshire Home decries inadequate equipment; seeks public support
6 hours -
UCL: Niclas Fullkrug hands Dortmund first leg advange over PSG
6 hours -
GPL: Accra Lions beat Hearts of Oak to go third
7 hours -
Seek higher grounds as rains intensify – GMet warns
8 hours -
May Day: Sam Ankrah promises to prioritise welfare and well-being of workers if elected president
8 hours -
Bawumia plans door-to-door campaign for 2024 polls
8 hours -
GAF condemns ‘unprovoked’ fatal shooting of soldier in Kasoa land dispute
9 hours -
OSP’s request for money laundering probe against Cecilia Dapaah baseless – AG advises EOCO
9 hours -
Obofour Raphael releases ‘Asem Yi Di Ka’ EP
9 hours -
‘Operation Clean Your Surroundings’: Popular Kenkey joint and public toilets in Takoradi shut down
10 hours -
GFA boss Kurt Okraku graces Dreams FC’s dinner to celebrate CAF Confederation Cup exploits
10 hours