KIGALI, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Women agripreneurs from The Gambia, Rwanda, Benin and Nigeria emerged the winners of 85,000 U.S. dollars grant during the Women Agripreneur of the Year Awards 2022 Wednesday in Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda.
Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) announced the winners at the ongoing Africa Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) summit.
The winners, who were selected from entries across the continent, were in the categories of Young Female Agripreneur, Female AgTech Innovator, Outstanding Value Adding Enterprise, and Overall Grand Prize.
Announcing the winners, Agnes Kalibata, president of AGRA, said each of the women is a remarkable role model to the thousands of women across Africa working to make their mark on African agriculture.
"Although women comprise around 40 percent of Africa's rural workforce and contribute up to 70 percent of food production, their efforts are still significantly under-recognized when it comes to business opportunities and investment. The unique stories of our four winners will help us to inspire and enhance advocacy for female agripreneurs across Africa, to build an environment that supports women to catalyze the needed transformation of Africa's food systems," she said.
The annual grants recognize women agripreneurs from the continent who have excelled in different segments of the agricultural value chain and shown remarkable innovation in their businesses, according to a statement from AGRA.
Launched in 2018, the awards aim to promote female success stories and role models, trigger innovation and spur ambition among women agripreneurs.
Applications were received from a total of 1,478 women in 38 countries across Africa.
A shortlist of 15 finalists from seven countries was drawn up following several rounds of rigorous evaluation which appraised the candidates' vision, innovations, business impact on the community and growth potential. ■