WAYA 2025 Awards Honour Ten Women Transforming African Agriculture

News in brief:

-Ten women from across Africa, including two Nigerians, have been honoured at the 2025 Women Agripreneurs of the Year Awards (WAYA) in Dakar, Senegal, for pioneering innovations in agriculture.

-The winners, backed with US$300,000 in funding, are tackling food insecurity, climate change, and unemployment through ag-tech, value addition, and women empowerment initiatives.

The 2025 Women Agripreneurs of the Year Awards (WAYA), held in Dakar, Senegal, celebrated ten outstanding women who are redefining Africa’s agriculture sector. Backed by the ValueForHer program, the winners received a combined US$300,000 in grant funding to scale their enterprises.

This year’s winners directly respond to the Africa Food Systems Forum (AFSF) 2025 report, which highlighted the urgency of tackling food insecurity, climate change, and unemployment. Their work spans sustainable farming, value addition, ag-tech innovations, and women's empowerment initiatives.

Spotlight on Nigerian Winners

Nigeria shone at the awards with two women making the list:

• Roberta Edu-Oyedokun, founder of Moppet Foods, won Outstanding Value-Adding Enterprise. Her company produces biofortified cereals and spreads, including the innovative Moppet Nutriblend, to combat child malnutrition.
• Baliqees Salaudeen-Ibrahim, climate advocate and CEO of Green Republic Farms, was named Young Female Agripreneur (West Africa). Her greenhouse and soilless farming systems, powered by renewable energy, cut post-harvest losses while training and employing women and youth.

Other Standout Winners

• Mathildah Amollo (Kenya) – Grand Prize Winner, founder of Greatlakes Feeds Ltd, empowering women in fish farming and curbing exploitation on Lake Victoria.
• Juliet Kakwerre N Tumusiime (Uganda) – Women Empowerment Champion, creator of biodegradable banana fibre hair extensions supporting over 2,000 rural women.
• Julienne Olawolé Agossadou (Benin) – Resilient & Inspirational Leader, innovator in mushroom cultivation using rice husks.
• Joyce Waithira Rugano (Kenya) – Female Ag-Tech Innovator, developer of a solar-powered waste-to-fertiliser decomposer.
• Onicca Sibanyona (South Africa) – Young Female Agripreneur (Rising Star), champion of climate-smart agribusiness. Regional category winners also came from Burundi, DRC, and Malawi.

Impact Beyond Awards

AGRA President Alice Ruhweza praised the honourees, noting their ventures have boosted incomes by 35%, reduced food waste, and provided food for over 500,000 households. She emphasised the need for stronger policies, smarter finance, and wider markets to scale their impact.

Selected from nearly 2,000 applicants, the 2025 WAYA winners demonstrate the transformative power of women-led agribusiness in shaping a food-secure and climate-resilient Africa.

What You Should Know

The WAYA Awards, launched in 2021 by AGRA under the ValueForHer programme, aim to spotlight women-led agribusinesses that are solving Africa’s food challenges while creating jobs. Over the past four years, WAYA has attracted thousands of applicants from across the continent, with winners collectively generating millions in revenue, reducing post-harvest losses, and strengthening food security. The 2025 edition reinforces the growing recognition that women entrepreneurs are central to Africa’s agricultural transformation.