Two entrepreneurs from Kenya honoured among Africa’s top women innovators in agriculture.

Kenyan agripreneurs were among the standout winners at the 2025 Women Agripreneurs of the Year Awards (WAYA), held on September 5 during the Africa Food Systems Forum in Dakar, Senegal.

The awards, run by AGRA under its VALUE4HER programme, recognise women driving innovation and resilience across Africa’s food systems. This year’s edition drew nearly 2,000 applications from across the continent.

Mathildah Amollo, founder of Greatlakes Feeds Ltd in Siaya County, won the Grand Prize. Her company produces high-quality fingerlings and eco-friendly fish feed while empowering women farmers, who supply 70% of her raw materials. The business also provides credit-based access to fish cages and inputs, helping women enter commercial fish farming and reducing exploitative “sex for fish” practices around Lake Victoria.

Joyce Waithira Rugano, founder of Ecorich Solutions, was named Female Ag-Tech Innovator of the Year. Her firm uses a solar-powered machine, the “WasteBot Decomposer,” to convert organic waste into fertiliser within 24 hours. Ecorich partners with over 400 women waste collectors in Nairobi and supplies eco-friendly fertiliser to local farmers.

Other winners came from Uganda, Benin, Nigeria, South Africa, Burundi, Malawi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, recognised for work in value addition, sustainable farming, and community leadership.

AGRA President Alice Ruhweza said this year’s winners have collectively boosted incomes, saved millions of tonnes of produce, and reached more than 500,000 households. “Their businesses prove that innovation and resilience are alive across Africa’s food systems,” she said.

The WAYA Awards, launched in 2021, have become a key platform for showcasing women-led agribusinesses across the continent.