You can make your phone work, there is no way internet will be infected by Covid-19, joked a young journalist involved in entrepreneurship in Ghana. Indeed, an initiative started in 2018 to connect fishermen to consumers via an online platform is now thriving.
Even though Ghana is currently not experiencing the strictest lockdown during the Covid-19 epidemic, as workers in the food chain are allowed to work, Loojanor offers an alternative to going to the market. Through dialing a code, selecting the fish species and quantity, and paying online, Ghanaians can get the fish delivered at home. The initiative has partnered with other food sector start-ups to reduce prices of delivery.
Background:
Ghana Startup Targets Billion Dollar Industry with Uber for Fish’ Business
Ever since the Kosmos Innovation Challenge started in 2016, the foundation has produced some of the region’s most competitive and successful agritech startups.
The 2016 Agritech winners, TROTRO Tractor have so far received grant funding from the Alliance for a New Revolution in Africa (AGRA) to implement the Smallholder Agricultural Mechanisation Project in different regions of Ghana.
AgroCenta, also past participants of the KIC programme, went on to be crowned Global Winners of SeedStars World earlier this year earning USD$500,000 in equity funding. Meanwhile, Agro Innova, another company that came out of KIC, was one of several winners across Africa of the annual Pitch Agrihack Competition in Kigali, Rwanda earlier this year.
Clearly there is synergy within the agritech ecosystem and the problems that entrepreneurs (with the assistance of KIC management) are solving; as their impact is felt in the ecosystem, even while they’re still in the programme.
2020 AB2020