AYV News, June 14, 2024

Three young Sierra Leonean Tech Innovators, Osman Yaah, Martin Dangbaque and Kumba Florence have won themselves Sixty Thousand United States Dollars from the Agriculture Innovation Challenge (Agric-Challenge) held during a 3-Day 2024 Sierra Leone Innovates Summit at the Bintumani International Conference Center in Freetown.
Osman Yaah is winner of the 2024 Sierra Leone Innovates: Agriculture Innovation Challenge (Agric-Challenge) held at the Bintumani International Conference Center in Freetown.
Osman took home the Presidential Star Prize of $30,000 United States dollars.
First Runner Up goes to Martin Dangbaque taking home 20,000 United States dollars, whiles Kumba Florence is taking home 10,000 United States dollars as the Second Runner Up.
A consolation prize of NLe30,000 was given to the other two participants, Abdulai Barrie and Hawanatu Sesay.
All the participants were allocated 5 minutes each to pitch their innovative ideas that must convince the judges.
The Ministry of Communication, Technology and Innovation in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Youth Affairs launched the Agriculture Innovation Challenge.
Participants innovative ideas were judged on themes; ⁠Climate Smart Agriculture: Develop solutions that enhance crop resilience to climate variabilities and optimize water and soil management; ⁠Digital Agriculture: Create mobile applications or platforms for better market access, crop management, forecasting, or direct linkage between farmers and consumers; ⁠Mechanisation and Automation: Innovations that reduce the labor intensity of agriculture and increase efficiency, such as automated irrigation systems or small-scale mechanised tools tailored for local farm conditions; Waste Reduction and Management: Solutions for reducing post-harvest losses or transforming agricultural waste into useful products; and ⁠Agri-Education through Technology: Develop educational tools that offer agricultural training and advice through digital platforms, enhancing farmers’ knowledge and skills.
Eligibility Criteria for the Challenge was based on; participants being Sierra Leoneans residing in or outside the country; apply as an individual or part of a team of not more than four members; and have a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) to demonstrate.
Participants are evaluated based on Innovation and Originality (20%), Alignment with Key Themes (20%), Feasibility and Scalability (20%) and Impact Potential (20%), Business Model and Sustainability (20%).
Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Henry Musa Kpaka said: “We hope to use innovative technology to achieve the Feed Salone agenda. We are also working on using innovative technology to establish a Digital Farmers Registry”.
The 2024 Sierra Leone Innovates Tech Summit was held for three days at the Bintumani International Conference Center in Freetown and attracted over 3,000 delegates, 50 panelists and 10 sectors drawn from 4 Mano River Union countries.