Grooming start-ups for Africa

A non-profit organisation, Mass Challenge, and University Mohammed VI Polytechnique (UM6P) in Ben Guerir, Morocco, have launched the Impulse Accelerator Programme to support start-ups in Nigeria. It held a road show in Lagos to identify start-ups with solutions for problems across Africa. DANIEL ESSIET writes

FarmCrowdy, ThriveAgric, and Verdant AgriTech are some of the startups using digital agriculture to empower farmers.

But they are yet to reach many small-scale farmers because they are limited to their communities of operation.

Despite this problem, digital solutions are being deployed in solving decade-long problems and making agriculture exciting for youths who are being lured by the use of mobile apps and other technologies.

While several agrifood startups are being established, experts say there is a need to see more functional digital and bio-farmtechs feature on the list of agri-food startups.

To tackle this problem, a firm Impulse, has held its Accelerator Programme in Lagos to hone the skills of agritech start-ups owners.

Its Director Adnane Alaoui Soulimani said Impulse was developed by Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) in partnership with MassChallenge, and OCP Group and its subsidiary, OCP Africa  to support the selected startups and to help them forge lasting partnerships.

He said the 12-week programme targets startups in agritech, biotech, mining technologies and materials science and nanotechnology.

Soulimani, who urged start-ups to register for the programme, said it  would end in October.

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He said the list of finalists would be announced in November, while the accelerator programme would start on January 15, 2020.

He said the 10 startups that would be selected to participate in an intensive 12-week acceleration programme in Morocco would receive mentoring and coaching by OCP experts, UM6P professors and doctoral students, mentors of the MassChallenge network and the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

He said the winners would be taught good agribusiness strategies.

A prize of $250,000 is  to be shared among the winners. Winners will receive the opportunity to pitch and network with executives. They will also receive valuable business consultation services, including go-to-market advice.

Soulimani said the team would  embark on a road show in Cote d’Ivoire and Ethiopia to showcase the programme to start-ups and entrepreneurs in those countries.

The accelerator is hunting for firms with impact focus. Its mandate is broad, sector-wise. Geographically, however, the firm is committed to African startups.  Agri-food tech is not Impulse’s only focus, but it is also key, because Soulimani is committed to it.

He desires to see startups who could come up with good business models, a developed minimum viable product (MVP), targeted customers, and prepared to get funding for the next stage of their development.

To this end, the accelerator will offer a more tailored programme  to later stage firms to help them grow and to gain access to new markets, new customers and new investors.

It aims to have in its platform  agritech startup solutions with an eye for rolling out across the African continent.

Soulimani explained that Impulse was the first step toward the creation of a bigger sector-agnostic accelerator called “MassChallenge Africa”, that would accelerate yearly between 50 and 100 start-ups working on African challenges.

“Start-ups that will be selected for our programme will benefit from the mentorship of senior managers and business experts from OCP Group, one of the world’s leaders in the fields of phosphate and phosphate-based fertiliser.

“Start-ups will also have access to potential business opportunities through OCP Group, UM6P and their ecosystems,” Soulimani added.

A speaker, Ayodele Balogun, noted that until recently, much attention had not been paid to sustainable agriculture in the country.

“Effectively, we lose foreign exchange (forex) because we are not able to produce enough and process enough to satisfy ourselves,” he said.

The OCP Country Manager, Caleb Usoh highlighted the efforts of the Federal Government to harness the potential of the sector and to address the trade deficit that existed in the country.

Usoh said: “OCP Africa is committed to supporting the Nigerian government’s effort towards the development of the agriculture sector.

“In 2016, OCP Africa entered into a partnership with the Fertiliser Producers and Suppliers Association of Nigeria (FESPAN) under the `Presidential Fertiliser Initiative’, with the support of Nigeria Investment Sovereign Authority (NSIA).

“The partnership encompasses the entire agricultural chain: creating fertiliser solutions, making fertiliser available on the local market at competitive prices, and fostering mentorship for farmers.

“Thanks to the partnership with FESPAN, local investments in new fertiliser blending plants have grown from nine facories in 2016 to 25 within a span of three years creating a number of direct and indirect employment opportunities for Nigeria’s youths and reducing the prices of fertilisers for farmers.”

According to him, OCP plays an important role in feeding a growing global population, by providing essential elements for soil fertility and plants growth.

He said OCP provides a wide- range of well adapted fertiliser products to enhance soil, increase agricultural yields, and help feeding the planet in a sustainable and affordable way.

A start-up specialist, Mr. Dennis Goji, advised start-ups to familiarise themselves with government socio-economic policies to be firmly grounded in their chosen trade.

Goje said the consistency of government policies on agriculture since 2011 had made possible some of their success stories. Therefore, start-ups and commercial farmers could understand the direction of government.

Contributing, Mr. Adunoye Olubiyi, an agronomist, acknowledged the impact of the agritech initiatives and advised farmers to be more deliberate in engaging the processes.

“One of the things we have benefited from Hello Tractor is that we have been able to scale up production without having to worry about money to make things available.

“Last year, we did some things in the range of 30 hectares in terms of production.

“However, this year, we have been able to do about 120 hectares because of the support from Hello Tractor. For next year, we are projecting 200 hectares,” Olubiyi said.

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