19 African Women Agripreneurs Win Funding at WAYA 2026

Nineteen women entrepreneurs from 15 African countries have been recognised at the 2026 VALUE4HER Women Agripreneurs of the Year Awards (WAYA), with winners receiving funding to expand businesses across agriculture and food-related industries. The awards, held in Kigali, followed more than 1,000 applications from 35 African countries. The finalists represented businesses working in areas including seed production, food processing, agritech and rural enterprise.

Rwandan entrepreneur Marina Kamanzi took the top prize, receiving the WAYA Grand Prize and US$40,000 for her Zambia-based seed business, Kagezi Seed Company Limited.

Kagezi produces climate-resilient and organically grown seeds for crops that are often overlooked by larger seed suppliers. The company also operates a farmer outgrower scheme that involves smallholder farmers in its production activities.

Kamanzi was also named among the World Food Prize Foundation’s Top Agri-food Pioneers earlier this year for her work in regional seed systems.

Five Businesses Take Category Awards

Five entrepreneurs also received US$25,000 each after winning category awards covering different areas of Africa’s agricultural economy.

Nigeria’s Ifeoma Mary Okonkwo won the Women Empowerment Champion category for her work at IFGREEN Industries & Investment Ltd.

The Lagos-based company processes cassava into gluten-free flour, food-grade starch and other industrial products. Its supply chain includes local farmers, while the business has grown from a two-person operation to supporting 77 direct and indirect jobs.

Okonkwo was also the overall winner of Nigeria’s National MSME Awards last year, receiving a prize package valued at 220 million naira.

Ugandan entrepreneur Doreen Jean Nsasiirwe won the Resilient & Inspirational Leader category for Westlink Delicacy Api Group Ltd.

Her business operates in apiculture and natural products, working with beekeepers while linking the protection of local ecosystems to income generation in communities.

Zimbabwe’s Perseverance Muzeya received the Outstanding Value-Adding Enterprise award for Alzanael Private Limited. The business focuses on adding value to agricultural products by connecting production with processing and consumer markets.

Kenya’s Cherotich Rutto won the Female Ag-Tech Innovator category for Tawi Fresh, a B2B agritech marketplace connecting smallholder farmers with commercial buyers.

Rutto founded Tawi Fresh after almost a decade working on digital initiatives at Standard Chartered Bank. The platform connects farmers with commercial kitchens and other buyers, giving producers a more direct route to larger markets.

Tawi Fresh was incubated through Standard Chartered’s SC Ventures Lab and had onboarded more than 1,000 farmers and 250 commercial kitchens within months of launching in 2023.

Mali’s Sakalé Traoré won the Young Female Agripreneur, Rising Star category, recognising entrepreneurs under 35 for their early leadership and innovation in agriculture.

Regional Winners and Runners-Up

The category awards also included runner-up prizes.

Thokozani Chimasula of Malawi was the first runner-up in Women Empowerment Champion, receiving US$10,000, while Kenya’s Irene Etyang received US$8,000 as second runner-up.

In Resilient and Inspirational Leader, Burundi’s Aniella Niyondiko and Ghana’s Portia Asumda placed behind Nsasiirwe.

Nigeria’s Zainab Lawal Gwadabe and Burkina Faso’s Aminata Ouattara were runners-up in Outstanding Value-Adding Enterprise.

Senegal’s Seynabou Diallo and Kenya’s Millicent Okumu, founder of Agriflex Ltd, followed Rutto in the Female Ag-Tech Innovator category.

Five regional winners also received US$12,000 each.

Amira Affaf Bellil of Algeria won the North Africa award, Yvette Dickson-Tetteh of Ghana won West Africa, Sabiha Rashid of Tanzania won East Africa, Rachel Ushindi of the Democratic Republic of Congo won Central Africa, and Shirley Marlin Da Graça of Mozambique won Southern Africa.

Kenya Records Multiple Winners

Kenya had a strong showing at this year’s awards, with entrepreneurs appearing in three of the recognised positions.

Rutto took the Female Ag-Tech Innovator award, while Etyang and Okumu both finished as runners-up in their respective categories.

The results highlight the range of businesses being built by women entrepreneurs in Kenya, from agritech platforms connecting farmers with commercial buyers to businesses focused on agricultural value addition.

Funding for Women-Led Agribusinesses

The awards are part of VALUE4HER, an AGRA initiative that connects more than 17,000 women-led agribusinesses across 48 African countries with finance, markets, technology and commercial networks.

The 2026 awards offered a total prize pool of US$300,000.

The funding gives the recognised businesses capital that can be used to expand operations, develop products, reach new markets and strengthen their businesses.

AGRA President Alice Ruhweza said women play roles throughout Africa’s food systems, including farming, processing, distribution and cooperative leadership.

The awards therefore recognise businesses that are already contributing to local economies while giving their founders additional resources to grow.

For the 19 women recognised in Kigali, the awards provide both funding and greater visibility as they continue expanding their businesses across Africa’s agricultural and food sectors.