from PHYLLIS BIRORI in Kigali, Rwanda
Rwanda Bureau
KIGALI, (CAJ News) – RWANDA has launched a US$2 million facility to provide financial and technical support to agriculture technology startups.
The funding is poised to address food challenges in the country as well as boost innovation in the East African country.
Yves Iradukundau, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of ICT and Innovation, announced the scheme, dubbed the Hanga Agritech Innovation Challenge Fund.
The fund is in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources and the World Bank.
The announcement has been made at the just-concluded Hanga Pitchfest 2023. It was the third edition of the pitching event.
Norman Schräpel, Head of Cluster Digital Transformation and Digital Economy at German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ in German) Rwanda, lauded the introduction of the Hanga Agritech Innovation Challenge Fund.
“It is an exciting new opportunity for innovators that want to transform agriculture in Rwanda,” he said.
Loopa, the startup that produces organic fertilizer leveraging internet of things (IoT) and food waste was the winner.
This has been lauded as a unique approach to reduce Rwanda’s dependence on imported fertilizer.
Loopa won Rwf50 million (US$39 700).
– CAJ News