Kenya, Benin, South Africa, Uganda, Nigeria Women Shine at WAYA 2025 Awards
The 2025 Women Agripreneurs of the Year Awards (WAYA), held in Dakar, Senegal, recognised ten women who are leading innovative enterprises and driving significant economic growth across the continent’s agricultural sector.
The finalists of this year’s WAYA Awards are directly addressing the challenges outlined in the latest AFSF 2025 report, which calls for urgent action on food insecurity and climate change. Through diverse innovations in value addition, ag-tech, and sustainable farming, these women are on the frontline of solving some of the continent’s most pressing food challenges, from malnutrition and food waste to climate shocks.
A total of US$300,000 in grant funding from the ValueForHer program was awarded to the winners, reinforcing the strategic importance of investing in women-led ventures to unlock Africa’s full economic potential. The winners representing diverse countries, including Benin, Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda, showcase the power of localized solutions.
The 2025 WAYA Winners by Category include:
Grand Prize Winner: Mathildah Amollo from Kenya founded Greatlakes Feeds Ltd in 2021 to produce high-quality fingerlings and eco-friendly fish feeds, empowering women in Siaya County, Kenya. The company sources 70% of its raw materials from women farmers and supports them with credit-based fish cages and inputs, facilitating their entry into commercial fish farming. This approach combats “sex for fish” exploitation on the shores of Lake Victoria while tackling overfishing and malnutrition.
Women Empowerment Champion: Juliet Kakwerre N Tumusiime from Uganda is the founder and CEO of Cheveux Organique, the company behind Africa’s first biodegradable hair extensions made from banana fibre. Her idea transforms discarded banana stems into a high-value beauty product, generating income for over 2000 women in rural communities.
Resilient & Inspirational Leader: Julienne Olawolé Agossadou, an agronomist from Benin and WAYA 2025’s Resilient and Inspirational Leader, founded SEDAMI – La Reine des Champignons in 2014. Her enterprise transforms rice husks into a fertile medium for mushroom cultivation. The initiative empowers rural women, helping them earn income and improve family nutrition with minimal land and resources.
Outstanding Value-Adding Enterprise: Roberta Edu-Oyedokun, a Nigerian entrepreneur, is the WAYA 2025 Outstanding Value-Adding Entrepreneur. She is the founder and CEO of Moppet Foods, a women-led nutrition brand. Moppet Foods creates biofortified cereals and spreads to improve child health and tackle malnutrition. The company produces nutrient-rich products, like Moppet Nutriblend, the world’s first fruit-infused peanut spread.
Female Ag-Tech Innovator: Joyce Waithira Rugano, a Kenyan entrepreneur and founder of Ecorich Solutions, is turning organic waste into fertiliser. With a background in business development, she uses tech to tackle food waste and soil health issues. Ecorich developed the “WasteBot decomposer,” a solar-powered machine that converts waste into fertiliser within 24 hours. The company collaborates with over 400 women waste collectors in Nairobi and supplies eco-friendly fertiliser to farmers. Ecorich aims to create a sustainable system from waste collection to affordable fertiliser supply, focusing on women and youth.
Young Female Agripreneur (Rising Star): Onicca Sibanyona is a rural entrepreneur in South Africa, a mother and a self-taught herbalist who runs Jwale Farms while studying Food Innovation & Regeneration. She also leads fundraising at Kgatelopele Clinic and won the 2024 Scale Out for Impact award. Through Jwale Farms, she promotes resilient rural economies by providing clean water, nutritious food, and training in climate-smart agribusiness for youth and young mothers.
Young Female Agripreneur (Rising Star) – Regional Winners:
East Africa: Arlène founded SEFACO at 24 to boost women’s participation in fish farming in Burundi. Through its “Village-École des Femmes” model, SEFACO trains young women, produces fish and seed, and turns ponds into training hubs and business clusters, fostering economic inclusion and local growth.
West Africa: Baliqees Salaudeen-Ibrahim, Nigerian climate advocate and CEO of Green Republic Farms, grows premium vegetables with greenhouse and soilless farming powered by renewable energy. The farm cuts post-harvest losses and emissions while training and employing rural women and youth and supporting smallholders to boost yields sustainably.
Central Africa: Elie Mbeki Busha Pongo, an agronomist and an entrepreneur in DRC, founded La Fleur in 2022 to create 100% natural bouillon cubes as a healthy alternative to industrial seasonings. Working with young farmers, the company offers four flavours: Barbecue, Shrimp, Vegetable, and Flavoured Chilli while promoting sustainable farming and stable market access.
Southern Africa: Lusungu, a Malawian social entrepreneur, founded Lweya Honey to empower women and youth through beekeeping and forest conservation. The enterprise trains beginners, supplies tools, and buys honey at fair prices, while processing products for sale in Mzuzu and Lilongwe and adding value with beeswax candles and balms.
Alice Ruhweza, President of AGRA, highlighted the tangible results of these enterprises. “These founders have turned constraints into thriving businesses. Collectively, they’ve increased annual incomes by an estimated 35%, saved millions of tonnes of produce from spoilage, and delivered food to over 500,000 households. Their businesses prove that innovation and resilience are alive across Africa’s food systems. At AGRA, our role is to back them with stronger policy support, smarter finance, and access to bigger markets so they can multiply their reach and drive systemic change.”
Selected from a competitive pool of nearly 2,000 applicants, each champion is a testament to innovation, resilience, and leadership, proving that with the right support, women can revolutionise agriculture.
