Two Rwandan entrepreneurs scooped awards and a total of Rwf4 million in seed capital at the Young Innovators in Agribusiness 2016 competition in Nairobi last week. Edmond Murindahabi, the chief executive officer, PEBEC Rwanda won in the SME category and bagged $3,000 or about Rwf2.4 million in seed capital. Another local innovator, Lillian Uwintwali, the managing director of M-AHWII, was the second runner up in the start-ups category, and pocketed $2000 (about Rwf1.6 million) seed capital. Uwintwali’s company offers mobile phone and online-based solutions that seek to improve access to extension services, market information and financing opportunities in the agriculture sector.

The two entrepreneurs were part of the five Rwandans who qualified for the 2016 East African Young Innovators in Agribusiness Competition Trade Fair in Nairobi early this year. They beat 13 other competitors from Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania.

Noah Ssempijja from Uganda was the overall winner. Other winners are Mercy Kitomari from Tanzania, Ethiopia’s Abrhame Endrias of Green Agro Mechanisation, and Anzazi Kiti (Taste Afrique) from Kenya. Uwintwali said the competition offered an opportunity to share entrepreneurship knowledge and expertise. "The key objective of the Agribusiness Innovation and Trade Fair was to create an ecosystem of trade, financing and capability support for start-ups and SMEs,” she told The New Times.

Meanwhile, James Shikwati, the director, Inter Regional Economic Network, and Young Innovators in Agribusiness competition, said the contest presents young innovators an opportunity to scale up agribusiness activities through training initiatives. This, he said, stimulates development of entrepreneurship project that can attract investment, are sustainable, competitive and those that play an active role in the larger East African market.

Kinyua M’Mbijjewe, the Syngenta head of corporate affairs for Africa and the Middle East, said supporting innovation will boost agribusiness, adding that it also offers unlimited potential for sustainable growth of the agriculture sector. The contest was sponsored by USAID-supported East Africa Trade and Investment Hub, Syngenta, Inter Region Economic Network, and Toyota Kenya Academy.