Ghanaian food-systems technology platform SankofaFresh is seeking to tackle one of agriculture’s most persistent challenges by reducing post-harvest losses and connecting smallholder farmers to more reliable markets.

Across the world, an estimated 30 to 50 per cent of fruits and vegetables are lost between the farm and the market due to poor storage, transport delays and disruptions in the cold chain.

For farming families, these losses often translate into reduced incomes, while food that could have reached consumers and supported nutrition goes to waste.

SankofaFresh says it was established to help close this gap by using technology to improve how fresh produce is monitored, stored and connected to buyers.

The platform has already been adopted by Leehouse and Chemical Ventures, a food manufacturing company in Ghana, helping to reduce post-harvest losses while creating more reliable market opportunities for smallholder farmers.

The initiative comes at a time when food loss and access to nutritious diets remain major global concerns.

By helping ensure that more food grown by farmers safely reaches the market and ultimately consumers, SankofaFresh says its work contributes directly to efforts to strengthen food security and nutrition in Ghana and beyond.

SankofaFresh was co-founded by Rhoda Osei-Nkwantabisa, Joshua Kojo Aduampong Mantey, George Arthur and Rosemary Agbzo.

Joshua Mantey serves as Co-Founder and Head of Data and Artificial Intelligence, leading the systems behind the platform’s cold-chain monitoring and farmer-to-market matching.

He is also a PhD researcher at Northeastern University, where his work involves large-scale computational modelling and machine learning for biopharmaceutical research.

The same data-driven approach is being applied to the development of SankofaFresh’s food-systems technology, with the aim of improving efficiency and reducing waste across the agricultural value chain.

The platform’s approach has already gained international recognition.

In 2026, SankofaFresh won the Audience Choice Award at the World Bank Group Youth Summit Pitch Competition.

The recognition highlighted the platform’s efforts to reduce post-harvest losses and strengthen market access for smallholder farmers.

As Ghana and other countries continue to grapple with food security challenges, SankofaFresh is positioning technology, data and stronger market connections as critical tools for ensuring that more of what farmers grow reaches the people and businesses that need it.