6 Ghanaian Startups Disrupting The Agricultural Ecosystem
Why do startups want to be startups? Is it for public recognition, for wealth, for job creation, or because they had no choice? For startups from Design And Technology Institute, they have a core purpose. They have been thoroughly trained and programmed to be key players in the African industries.
Ms. Constance Swaniker, the CEO, says they are gunning to be Africa’s premier Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Hub.
“DTI is a private TVET institution that believes in creativity and innovation. We are excited to introduce the Community Innovation Competition to help develop the entrepreneurial skills of Ghana’s youth as a solution to the high unemployment rate in Ghana,” said Constance.
She added, “We are living in a time where continuous innovation is key for sustained growth and development. As an institution, we believe in bringing out the innovative and creative abilities of our learners as a catalyst to create jobs and provide solutions for communities and industries.”
Given this, DTI startups are to serve as pipelines that will unearth other youth entrepreneurs who will act as enablers in solving youth unemployment by creating 450 direct and indirect jobs. During the DTI business competition, they were charged to also create 40,000 jobs by 2023.
The startups
Haidelis Engineering: An agribusiness that is focused on assisting groundnut farmers to seamlessly harvest groundnut with its innovative product — Groundnut Thresher.
Mekfix Group: An agribusiness focused on reducing cocoa production time from 4hours to 1hour. Its product, the cocoa pod-breaking machine, is an easy-to-use device that will split cocoa of all sizes without causing damage to the beans.
Volcano Technologies: A circular technology-powered company intent on combating waste in the country with its Green Incinerators. The green incinerator burns waste and extracts harmful gases released into the air through its air-pollution-infused system. The by-product of the waste burnt — gypsum — is used to produce fertilizers and cement.
Mighty Men Solution: An agribusiness proposing a solution to end pest infestation. The startup is also seeking to propel even spread of fertilizer. To achieve this, the startup has developed the M2 Spraying Machine, a pump-like machine that uses a knapsack, a tire, and water nozzles.
AB Group: A machine-enabled company aimed at supporting local fish vendors with an efficient and risk-free method of grilling fish. Its Adjustable Barbeque Grill is a movable device with a double-flipping turning mesh, adjustable fire unit, flame safety unit, and a charcoal grill.
Cadela Company: An agribusiness company aimed at assisting farmers to plant seeds on a large scale and at a faster rate. Its Mechanized Seed Planter will allow the farmers to sow seeds by positioning and burying them in the soil at a specific depth. Its seed drill punctures a hole in the soil and its seed selector sows a particular seed in its specific hole at the proper seeding rate and depth. It then covers the seed up with the soil.
