ACCRA, Ghana, January 12, 2026 — The Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST Africa), a leading launchpad for technology entrepreneurs on the continent, has released the MEST Africa AgriTech Report, highlighting the technologies, startups, and trends reshaping agriculture across West Africa.
Produced as part of the 2024 edition of the MEST Africa Challenge (MAC), in partnership with the Norwegian Embassy in Accra, the report examines how local innovators are leveraging mobile technology, artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), and solar-powered systems to address post-harvest losses, market inefficiencies, and financing gaps that continue to limit productivity among African farmers.
“Agriculture has always been the backbone of West Africa’s economy, but today we are witnessing the emergence of a new chapter—one driven by innovation, local ingenuity, and technology,” said Ashwin Ravichandran, portfolio advisor and MAC lead at MEST Africa. “This report captures that transformation and calls for greater collaboration between entrepreneurs, investors, and policymakers to ensure the promise of AgriTech benefits every farmer.”
Drawing on data and case studies from five key markets—Ghana, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, and Benin—the report highlights more than 40 AgriTech startups delivering measurable impact across the region. These include Ghana’s SAYeTECH, winner of the MEST Africa Challenge 2024, which manufactures locally appropriate mechanization tools, and Nigeria’s ColdHubs, whose solar-powered cold rooms have helped save over 40,000 tons of produce from spoilage.
While ecosystem enablers such as MEST Africa, the Kosmos Innovation Center (KIC), and CcHUB continue to nurture talent and provide seed capital, the report notes that AgriTech currently attracts only about 4 percent of Africa’s venture funding. This gap, the report argues, presents significant opportunities for investors to support scalable solutions that strengthen food security and promote inclusive economic growth.
“Our goal with this report is not only to spotlight innovation, but to drive collaboration,” Ravichandran added. “By investing in data, infrastructure, and people, Africa’s AgriTech ecosystem can scale sustainably, ensuring technology works for the farmer first.”
Since 2008, MEST Africa has trained and supported more than 2,000 entrepreneurs and invested in over 90 startups. The MEST Africa Challenge remains its flagship pan-African pitch competition, designed to identify, support, and scale high-potential technology ventures across the continent.
Source: The Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST Africa)
