At the Africa Food Systems Forum (AFS Forum) in Dakar this week, the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) shone the spotlight on six women whose grit, ingenuity, and leadership are redefining agribusiness across Africa. The 2025 Women Agripreneurs of the Year Awards (WAYA) celebrated the extraordinary contributions of women entrepreneurs who are tackling hunger, waste, and poverty while building sustainable enterprises that create jobs and strengthen local economies.
Chosen from a record pool of nearly 2,000 applicants spanning more than ten countries, the winners represent the continent’s most innovative and impactful female-led agribusinesses. Each received part of the USD 300,000 grant funding awarded this year, designed to help scale solutions that improve livelihoods, reduce food loss, and expand access to nutrition.
The coveted Grand Prize went to Mathildah Amollo of Kenya, founder of Greatlakes Feeds Ltd, recognised for building a pioneering enterprise that provides affordable, high-quality animal feeds to smallholder farmers while reducing post-harvest losses in cereals. Uganda’s Juliet Kakwerre N Tumusiime, founder of Cheveux Organique, took home the Women Empowerment Champion award for her work in creating employment pathways for rural women. From Benin, Julienne Olawolé Agossadou, founder of SEDAMI – La Reine des Champignons, was honoured as Resilient & Inspirational Leader, having transformed mushroom cultivation into both a sustainable enterprise and a lifeline for rural households.
Nigeria’s Roberta Edu-Oyedokun, CEO of Moppet Foods, won the Outstanding Value-Adding Enterprise award for her role in turning local crops into nutritious, market-ready foods. The Female Ag-Tech Innovator prize went to Joyce Waithira Rugano of Kenya, founder of Ecorich Solutions, which is harnessing technology to reduce food waste and improve soil health. South Africa’s Onicca Sibanyona, the 27-year-old founder of Jwale Farms, was named Young Female Agripreneur (Rising Star) for her work in poultry and horticulture, which is creating jobs for young people in her community.
In announcing the winners, AGRA President Alice Ruhweza highlighted the scale of their impact. Collectively, these women-led businesses have increased annual incomes for farmers by an estimated 35 percent, saved millions of tonnes of produce from spoilage, and delivered food to more than half a million households. “Across every category, these founders have turned constraints into thriving enterprises,” she said. “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.”
The WAYA awards are more than a celebration of individual success; they represent a growing movement to embed women at the centre of Africa’s agricultural transformation. For decades, women have contributed the majority of agricultural labour on the continent, yet they face systemic barriers to land, finance, and markets. AGRA’s VALUE4HER initiative, under which WAYA was launched in 2021, seeks to close those gaps by creating networks, building capacity, and channeling investment directly to women-led agribusinesses.
According to Nana Yaa Boakyewaa Amoah, AGRA’s Director for Gender, Youth and Inclusiveness, the pipeline of women entrepreneurs is not only growing but also diversifying. “We are seeing more technology-driven models, more regional trade links, and real evidence of job creation, especially for women and youth,” she said. “VALUE4HER exists to open doors to capital, buyers, and the right networks so these women can lead from the front. Their success is vital to inclusive food systems transformation across the continent.”
The breadth of innovation on display was evident in the judging process. Martha Haile, Founder and CEO of Abze Africa and one of the WAYA 2025 judges, said she was struck by the resilience and creativity of the applicants. “These women leaders faced significant barriers with an incredible ability to adapt,” she reflected. “Examples ranged from using sensors to protect bee colonies to innovating waste-to-income models. Their work goes beyond mere survival; it redefines resilience. It is a true honour to celebrate a generation of leaders who are not only building and scaling their businesses but also uplifting entire communities.”
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That community impact is where the WAYA awards find their deepest meaning. Winners are not only building profitable companies but also reshaping Africa’s food systems to be more sustainable, inclusive, and responsive to local needs. By reducing waste, adding value to crops, introducing ag-tech solutions, and empowering women and youth with jobs and training, they are tackling some of the most pressing challenges facing the continent’s agricultural sector.
The timing is also significant. Africa’s food systems remain under strain from climate change, post-harvest losses, and rising import bills. Women agripreneurs like this year’s WAYA laureates offer a blueprint for resilience, showing how local innovation can deliver both economic opportunity and food security.
Four years since its launch, the WAYA initiative has become a cornerstone of AGRA’s strategy to centre women in Africa’s agricultural transformation. As the applause in Dakar fades, the stories of these six winners send a clear message: Africa’s food future will be shaped not only by policies and investments but also by the determination of women entrepreneurs who are rewriting the rules of agribusiness, one innovation at a time.
