The Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST Africa) (www.Meltwater.org) has announced SAYeTECH (https://SAYeTECH.io) as the winner of the MEST Africa Challenge (MAC) 2024. The MAC 2024 grand finale marked the culmination of the competition, which celebrated innovative AgriTech solutions driving change in West Africa. Hosted in partnership with the Norwegian Embassy in Accra, this year’s theme, ‘Find Your Soil,’ focused on AgriTech innovation in the region.
MAC 2024 attracted applicants from key markets in the West African Region including Benin, Cape Verde, Côte D’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Mali, and Togo. Six standout finalists were selected to pitch their groundbreaking agricultural technology solutions, all aimed at enhancing productivity and sustainability in the region.
SAYeTECH, a Ghanaian startup led by Theodore Ohene-Botchway, won the grand prize for its innovative agricultural machinery tailored to African conditions, securing $50,000 in equity funding to scale its operations.
“The funding will enable us to scale production and reduce delivery lead times, providing smallholder farmers with the equipment they need to increase productivity,” said Ohene-Botchway.
As MEST continues to deepen its influence on Africa’s tech startup landscape, the MEST Africa Challenge remains the continent’s premier pitch competition for emerging tech entrepreneurs. The competition is designed to provide the ideal environment for tech innovators and startups to grow and succeed.
“AgriTech innovation thrives when it’s rooted in the right environment. ‘Find Your Soil’ is about helping innovators find the ecosystem where they can grow. Through the MEST Africa Challenge, we provide the visibility, partnerships, and support to help them succeed,” said Ashwin Ravichandran, Portfolio Advisor, MEST Africa.
MEST Africa is committed to creating wealth and jobs in Africa by fostering digital skills, supporting startups, and providing access to global networks. For more information, visit www.Meltwater.org.
Africa Fact: West Africa had walled towns and cities in the pre-colonial period. Winwood Reade, an English historian visited West Africa in the nineteenth century and commented that: “There are . . . thousands of large walled cities resembling those of Europe in the Middle Ages, or of ancient Greece.”
Duchess
Botswana: You have two cows. But that\’s not surprising because you have pretty much every type of non-extinct mammal in your country.
New Magoo
An retired elderly couple visit London..
They get picked up from the airport in a london black cab and head off into the city for some adventure.
The cab driver say \”where you from guvnor?
Husband. \”we\’re from South Africa\”..
The wife is a little hard of hearing asks her husband.
\”What did he say?\”
The husband turns to his wife and says louder \”the cab driver asked us where we were from, I told him South Africa!\”
The cabbie continues \”I was in the merchant navy years back… I got to drop anchor down your way, a few times in Johannesburg\”
The husband replies \”oh wow that\’s where we\’re from originally, now we\’re in Cape Town.\”
The wife asks the husband again \”what did he say?\”.
The husband again relays the unheard conversation \”the cab driver says he spent some time in the navy and went down to joberg\”.
The wife smiles and nods.