The Federal Government has challenged young innovators to harness technology to transform Nigeria’s agricultural sector and strengthen national food security, as winners of the 2026 Agriculture, Youth and Technology (AYuTe) Nigeria Challenge received 40,000 dollars in grants.
The call was made at the grand finale of the fifth edition of the AYuTe Nigeria Challenge, organised by Heifer Nigeria on Monday in Abuja.
The initiative is designed to empower youth-led agritech enterprises with grants, mentorship, market access, technical support and other resources to scale innovations that address challenges facing smallholder farmers and Nigeria’s food systems.
The minister of state for agriculture and food security, Dr. Aliyu Abdullahi, said Nigeria could no longer rely on traditional farming methods alone to feed its rapidly growing population, stressing the need to transition to technology-driven, high-yield commercial agriculture.
Abdullahi said Nigeria’s greatest assets for agricultural transformation were its youthful population and technological ingenuity.
He noted that deploying precision farming, drone technology, artificial intelligence-driven crop monitoring, and digital supply chain platforms would significantly improve productivity, reduce post-harvest losses and make farming more profitable.
He added that “our youth are energetic, resilient, innovative, and inherently tech-savvy. By deploying smart technologies, ranging from precision farming, drone technology, and AI-driven crop monitoring to efficient supply chain platforms.
“We can drastically increase yields, manage pests and diseases, reduce post-harvest losses, and make farming a highly profitable venture.”
He said the 40,000-dollar funding by Heifer Nigeria would serve as a catalyst for promising agritech ventures, adding that the mentorship, exposure, and industry validation provided through the competition would position beneficiaries for national and global growth.
The minister reaffirmed government’s commitment to creating an enabling environment for agritech innovation through policies that improve young people’s access to land, credit, modern farm inputs, and strategic partnerships capable of translating innovative ideas into practical solutions for farmers.
He urged the finalists to continue refining their innovations, irrespective of the competition’s outcome, noting that their solutions addressed real challenges confronting Nigeria’s agricultural sector.
Also, Dr Lekan Tobe, the Country Director of Heifer Nigeria, said the AYuTe Challenge was established to make agriculture attractive to young people while leveraging their creativity to transform the country’s food systems.
According to him, the programme goes beyond the annual competition by providing continuous mentorship, business development support, networking opportunities, and investment linkages for the top 10 finalists.
He added that “agriculture cannot be transformed without technology. That’s just the truth. We have learned that many years ago, but now we are bringing it to the fore.
“We are ensuring that those technologies are in the hands of the right people. That is youth, and they are using it well to drive the change that we want to see in agriculture and in our economy.”
Tobe said more than 60 per cent of Nigeria’s population comprised young people whose energy and innovative capacity remained indispensable to achieving the Federal Government’s one-trillion-dollar economy target.
He stressed that agriculture could not be transformed without technology, adding that the initiative was deliberately placing innovative technologies in the hands of young entrepreneurs capable of driving meaningful change across agricultural value chains.
Mr Chuba Ezeigwe, the Communications Manager of Heifer International Nigeria, said the programme had recorded significant impact in its five years of implementation, with several agritech enterprises expanding their reach from serving about few farmers to tens of thousands of farmers.
Ezeigwe said the project was focused on supporting practical, affordable, accessible, and scalable innovations that directly addressed the challenges of smallholder farmers.
He noted that the initiative had continued to nurture young innovators who were leading the transformation of Nigeria’s food systems through technology-driven solutions.
Earlier, Mr Ronald Wokoma, the Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the Equipment Leasing Registration Authority (ELRA), said many Nigerian youths possessed innovative business ideas, relevant skills, and the determination to succeed.
Wokoma, however, noted that limited access to equipment, machinery, technology, and other productive assets needed to expand their businesses was a challenge for them.
He announced a proposed strategic partnership between ELRA and Heifer International Nigeria to establish the ELRA-Heifer Youth Enterprise Leasing Initiative aimed at providing affordable leasing opportunities for youth-owned enterprises.
According to him, the initiative will improve access to tractors, irrigation systems, agro-processing equipment, cold storage facilities, delivery vehicles, renewable energy solutions and ICT equipment, thereby boosting productivity, job creation, financial inclusion and food security.
At the event, Kelechi Oleka, Founder of Kyoko Foods Ltd, emerged overall winner of the 2026 AYuTe Nigeria Challenge and received a 20,000-dollar grant.
Bello Amos-Bwala, Founder of Agrigoo Trades and Commodity, won the second prize of 12,000 dollars, while Udokanma George, Founder of Yemert Nigeria Ltd, came third and received 8,000 dollars.
The event also featured a university roadshow showcase, a panel discussion on youth-led agritech innovation for Nigeria’s food systems transformation, and the unveiling of the top three winners of the 2026 AYuTe Africa Challenge Nigeria.
