Ojawuri Agri-Agro and Livelihoods Enterprise, an innovative young agri-tech startup specializing in food security, has won the second annual Youth Innovation Circles Pitch & Demo Day.

Focused on providing innovative technologies in agri-agro-industrial services for food security and improved livelihoods, especially in rice-growing communities in Ghana, the start-up, led by Dondo Eric Nsrum, who had developed a mechanised rice thresher, pitched the prospects of the machine to the community so far.

Impressed by the judges, Dondo Eric Nsrum won the ultimate prize package of ten thousand Ghana cedis (GHC 10,000).

Other winners included Queency Fashion, who took home seven thousand Ghana cedis (GHC 7000) for coming second, and Healthy Bites, who were awarded five thousand Ghana cedis (GHC 5000).

Three Young Innovators Emerge Winners At Youth Innovation Circles Pitch & Demo Day In Kumasi

Innovators of Quick Study, an AI-powered educational platform aimed at facilitating studies for tertiary students, were also rewarded a prize package of five thousand Ghana cedis (GHC 5000).

In all, thirteen innovators pitched brilliant ideas ranging from food security, AI and technology, beautification, and education, among others.

All participants were presented with a certificate of participation.

Held at the HapaSpace Dome in Kumasi, the YIC Pitch & Demo Day was organized by hapaSpace in collaboration with the Mastercard Foundation and UNDP Ghana, as part of the Young Africa Innovates initiative (YAI).

Mr Gideon Brefo, Chief Executive Officer of hapaSpace, was enthusiastic about the potential of the young founders and admonished them to keep being innovative in today’s competitive world.

The Youth Innovation Circles (YIC) is a transformative initiative designed to empower atypical innovators in rural and peri-urban communities across Ghana. The programme focuses on providing mentorship, technical training and access to state-of-the-art maker spaces to help young innovators develop prototypes, scale their innovations and create job opportunities.