AgriTech Analytics Limited and Rethread Africa of Kenya have won the top prizes in a young entrepreneurs pitch contest held on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly and New York Climate Week, after pitching before a panel of international judges.
The announcement of the winners of the Youth Ecopreneur Awards – which recognizes outstanding youth-led start-ups dedicated to sustainability from Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and South America – came on 21 September at the event organized by two United Nations agencies, the International Trade Centre (ITC) and the G20 Global Land Initiative of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.
A statement to newsrooms indicates that Maryanne Gichanga of AgriTech Analytics, which uses AI-powered tools for smallholder farmers to combat soil degradation and increase yields, won for best land restoration initiative.
Charles Oyamo of Rethread Africa, which creates biodegradable polyester from sugarcane waste, took the top prize in the green business solutions category.
The winners were selected from eight finalists, who were chosen from 850 young entrepreneurs across over 100 countries. Each winner will receive $10,000 in cash, as well as services and support to scale up their businesses from the World Intellectual Property Organization, Sidley Austin LLP, and Google Startups for Sustainable Development.
The finalists who pitched on stage were Ceres Seeding, Brazil; AgriTech Analytics Limited, Kenya; SOS Carbon, Dominican Republic; Global Cerah Sdn Bhd, Malaysia; Sustainable Farming Solutions, Malawi; TrashCoin, Nigeria; Rethread Africa, Kenya; and BioMec Prosthetics, Mozambique,
The event, supported by the government of Madagascar and the United Nations Major Group for Children and Youth, was hosted by ITC Executive Director Pamela Coke-Hamilton and the Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development of Madagascar and former Youth Ecopreneur finalist, Max Andonirina Fontaine.
By Joseph Ng’ang’a
