Ghanaian startup SAYeTECH, which develops innovative agricultural machinery tailored to African conditions, has won this year’s edition of the MEST Africa Challenge, securing US$50,000 in equity funding to scale its operations.
Disrupt Africa reported in September the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST), a pan-African software and entrepreneurship training programme, seed fund, and incubator, in collaboration with the Norwegian Embassy, had opened applications for the sixth edition of the MEST Africa Challenge.
This year’s edition of the challenge for the first time had a specific sector focus, offering agri-tech startups the opportunity to “Find Their Soil” by providing critical support, funding, and mentorship. It attracted applicants from key markets in the West African region including Benin, Cape Verde, Côte D’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Mali, and Togo, with six finalists were selected to pitch their solutions at a grand final held in Accra.
SAYeTECH won the grand prize for its innovative agricultural machinery tailored to African conditions, securing $50,000 in equity funding to scale its operations.
“The funding will enable us to scale production and reduce delivery lead times, providing smallholder farmers with the equipment they need to increase productivity,” said founder Theodore Ohene-Botchway.
