Kenyan Innovators Shine at 2025 Women Agripreneurs of the Year Awards
WAYA Grand Prize Winner, Mathildah Amolloh
Nairobi, Kenya – September 5, 2025: Kenyan women agripreneurs emerged among Africa’s leading agribusiness innovators at the 2025 Women Agripreneurs of the Year Awards (WAYA), held during the Africa Food Systems Forum in Dakar, Senegal.
The awards, a flagship initiative under AGRA’s VALUE4HER programme, attracted nearly 2,000 applications from across the continent, spotlighting trailblazing women driving change in sustainable farming, agri-tech, value addition, and inclusive business models.
Kenya’s Winners
Two Kenyan entrepreneurs stood out at this year’s edition.
Mathildah Amollo, founder of Greatlakes Feeds Ltd, scooped the Grand Prize. Based in Siaya County, her company produces high-quality fingerlings and eco-friendly fish feed while empowering women around Lake Victoria. Greatlakes Feeds sources 70 percent of raw materials from women farmers and provides credit-based access to fish cages, tackling exploitative “sex for fish” practices and boosting nutrition and income security.
Joyce Waithira Rugano, founder of Ecorich Solutions, was named Female Ag-Tech Innovator of the Year. Her enterprise converts organic waste into fertiliser through the “WasteBot Decomposer,” a solar-powered machine that delivers fertiliser within 24 hours. Partnering with over 400 women waste collectors in Nairobi, Ecorich supplies eco-friendly fertiliser to farmers, advancing both circular economy and women’s economic empowerment.
Winners Across Africa
Other top honours included Uganda’s Juliet Kakwerre N Tumusiime, recognised as Women Empowerment Champion for producing Africa’s first biodegradable hair extensions from banana fibre, and Benin’s Julienne Olawolé Agossadou, honoured for transforming rice husks into mushroom-growing mediums. Nigeria’s Roberta Edu-Oyedokun received the Value-Adding Enterprise award for developing biofortified cereals and spreads tackling child malnutrition.
South Africa’s Onicca Sibanyona earned the Rising Star award for her climate-smart agribusiness, while regional recognitions went to young innovators from Burundi, Nigeria, DRC, and Malawi.
Celebrating Resilience
AGRA President Alice Ruhweza lauded the winners, saying they had boosted farmer incomes by up to 35 percent, reduced post-harvest losses, and improved food access for half a million households. “These founders prove that innovation and resilience are alive across Africa’s food systems,” she said.
Nana Yaa Boakyewaa Amoah, AGRA’s Director for Gender, Youth & Inclusiveness, noted that VALUE4HER continues to open doors for women agripreneurs to access finance, markets, and networks.
Launched in 2021, the WAYA Awards have become a cornerstone in spotlighting women-led agribusinesses and their transformative role in Africa’s food systems.
