Heifer Nigeria, an international non-governmental organization, has unveiled the 2026 AYuTe Nigeria Challenge, offering $40,000 to support youth-led agritech innovations, transform Nigeria’s food system, and improve smallholder farmers’ incomes.
The announcement was made on Thursday in Abuja during the unveiling of the 2026 annual Agriculture, Youth and Technology (AYuTe) initiative, themed “Catalysing Youth-Led Innovation to Transform Nigeria’s Food Systems.”
Dr Lekan Tobe, Country Director of Heifer Nigeria, said the 2026 edition would focus on identifying innovations that are technically feasible, climate-smart, and capable of delivering tangible value to smallholder farmers, who drive Nigeria’s agri-economy.
“The future of our nation’s food security lies in the innovation and energy of our youth. We also believe that the challenges facing our food systems—from climate change to supply chain inefficiencies—require modern yet local solutions,” he said.
According to him, the organization will provide financial and technical resources to transform youth-led, technology-driven ideas into scalable tools that strengthen Nigeria’s agricultural value chain.
“We are looking for solutions that address the real-world hurdles our farmers face every day, from climate resilience to supply chain efficiency, access to innovative finance, and premium markets.
“The success stories of our past winners show that the talent exists within this country to revolutionize agriculture, and we want to find those groundbreaking innovations,” he added.
Also speaking, Mr Chuba Ezeigwe, Communications Manager at Heifer Nigeria, said the AYuTe Nigeria Challenge, which began in 2022, has attracted over 2,000 entries across its editions.
He said the grand prize winner will receive $20,000, while the first and second runners-up will receive $12,000 and $8,000, respectively.
Ezeigwe explained that the application portal for the 2026 challenge opened on January 22 and will close on March 14, with more information available at www.ayute.africa/Nigeria for interested agripreneurs.
He added that successful participants will also receive post-award business advisory support to help translate their ideas into viable expansion strategies.
“By amplifying youth-led innovations, we are showing that young people are the architects of Nigeria’s agri-future. We are empowering changemakers to create jobs while solving the daily needs and challenges of smallholder farmers,” he said.
In his remarks, Mustapha Abokede, Venture Lead at Wennovation Hub, the project’s technical partner, said the partnership is designed to identify farmer-centric technologies that can withstand market realities.
“We are moving beyond basic incubation to provide rigorous venture support. By focusing on technical feasibility and economic suitability, we ensure these youth-led agritech solutions can scale aggressively,” he said.
“Our goal is to empower changemakers to build a more resilient food system that offers a clear path to prosperity for Nigeria’s smallholder farmers,” Abokede added.
Meanwhile, Seyi Alabi, AYuTe 2025 winner and Founder of Crop2Cash, said the support from Heifer enabled him to empower smallholder farmers through mobile-based access to financing and the introduction of new products.
“Winning the AYuTe challenge opened doors for more opportunities for my business. We have expanded operations in Kano, Kaduna, and other regions. Our supply chain also increased, and we expanded our warehouses from five to nine, while designing a new product,” he said.
Similarly, Ms Deborah Oigocho, 2025 second runner-up and Co-Founder of Erido Agro, said emerging as a winner boosted her pursuit of investment opportunities and expanded her reach to over 1,000 smallholder farmers.
“We also launched a platform that gives farmers access to input markets and tech solutions, boosting their productivity and incomes.
“We opened a rice processing plant that provides a ready market for local rice farmers in Benue State, enhancing the rice value chain. We also empower farmers to manage finances, secure and store produce, and access profits.
“We are grateful for this platform, which gave us the opportunity to kick-start big initiatives in the agricultural market and drive sustainability for smallholder farmers,” she said.
The AYuTe Africa Challenge Nigeria is an enterprise development programme initiated by Heifer International to identify, nurture, and support innovative, technology-driven agri-centric enterprises through national competitions.
The initiative awards up to $40,000 in each participating country, including Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, and Uganda.
