Uber! But for farmers👩🏾‍🌾😁

Hello Venturer, I have a few questions for you today. Are you a young African between the ages of 18 Uber! But for farmers👩🏾‍🌾😁 By [VA Weekly]( • Issue #34 • [View online]( Hello Venturer, I have a few questions for you today. Are you a young African between the ages of 18 to 40? Is agriculture attractive to you? Why and why not? Ever considered a career in Agriculture? Why and why not? What are the barriers in your way of pursuing a career in agriculture? How can these barriers be eliminated? If in answering these questions, the image in your head is only of a farmer - you need to change your mindset. And if it’s of a farmer farming with traditional tools, read the last two sentences. Career opportunities in agriculture abound. “Hadassah, what are they?” Google.🙄 But also, how about we think of the barriers and challenges in the sector as opportunities? This week, we tell the stories of two young Africans who saw opportunities in challenges to build impactful businesses in the agric sector. Hadassah Egbedi Editor, Ventures Africa Heifer International selects ColdHubs and Hello Tractor as winners of inaugural AYuTe Africa Challenge. The 2021 AYuTe Africa Champions were chosen from an impressive field of young agritech innovators across the continent. As winners, the companies will receive a sizeable monetary investment—a total of US$1.5 million in grants—along with ongoing support from a team of expert advisers— accomplished business veterans—to help them translate their funding into an aggressive expansion strategy. Hello Tractor is set to pilot a new PAYG tractor-financing product. To help mechanize the continent and provide farmers with essentials such as tractors at a low cost, Jehiel Oliver founded Hello Tractor in 2014. Through a [tractor sharing application](, Hello Tractor aims to connect tractor owners and smallholder farmers in need of tractors. The application collects tractor service requests to assist farmers with limited access to resources in obtaining convenient and affordable tractor services. ColdHubs will expand into new markets thanks to a $500,000 grant. ColdHubs was adversely affected by the pandemic. With the COVID–19 lockdowns and movement restrictions, balancing food supply and demand became a major issue for farmers because people were not mobile and markets were closed. But things are [beginning to look up]( for Nnaemeka Ikegwuonu’s business with Heifer’s latest investment. Nigeria’s telecom sector holds the key to reviving the economy. Here's why. Over time, Nigeria’s telecommunication sector has proven to be the fastest-growing and largest contributor to the nation’s economy. The telecommunication sector is one of the sectors whose performance took the country [out of a recession]( in the fourth quarter of 2020. The telecommunications and information services grew by 17.64 per cent in Q4 2020, up from 17.36 per cent in Q3 2020 and 10.26 per cent in Q4 2019. Mastercard and Paycode collaborate to improve access to financial services for Africa’s remote communities. Together, Paycode and Mastercard deliver [a path to prosperity](, enabling users to manage day-to-day needs including paying school fees for children, getting vaccinations for their families, selling goods, and growing their businesses. To enable this, Community Pass allows a person’s face or palm to be recognized at both online and offline locations while ensuring the best security of their data. How Nigeria will benefit from the AFDB’s $520 million SAPZ support fund. The Special Agro-industrial Processing is a flagship initiative of the Bank’s ‘Feed Africa’ strategic priority. The programme aims to provide [end-to-end solutions]( and services that reduce the risk involved in the production, processing, and marketing operations of private sector actors as they boost manufacturing and transformation capacity in production areas. #VANUGGET Remember to stay safe! Did you enjoy this issue? [VA Weekly]( By [VA Weekly]( Ventures Africa is an online business news site and community that produces stories about an evolving Africa. Our stories inspire people to positively shape their environment. We cover business, policy, innovation and culture in Africa. [Tweet](    [Share]( If you don't want these updates anymore, please unsubscribe [here](. If you were forwarded this newsletter and you like it, you can subscribe [here](. Powered by [Revue](