Young Ugandan innovators awarded Sh205 million to take bold agricultural solutions to scale

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT |  Heifer International Uganda has announced the winners of the AYuTe Africa Challenge Uganda Season 5, awarding a share of Sh205 million in catalytic financing to young innovators and entrepreneurs building practical solutions for Uganda’s farmers and agricultural value chains.

Held at Sheraton Hotel Kampala under the theme “Go Big. Go Bold”, the awards gala brought together government leaders, innovators, farmers, investors, development partners and private-sector actors.

This year’s challenge attracted 836 applications, compared to 307 applications in 2025, a strong signal that young Ugandans increasingly see agriculture not simply as a livelihood of last resort, but as a space in which to build technology, competitive businesses and dignified work.

Chief Guest Eng. Jonard Asiimwe, Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation, challenged this year’s cohort to see funding as a starting point rather than a finish line. In his remarks to guests, the Minister reaffirmed government’s commitment to an innovation ecosystem where young Ugandans do not have to leave the country — or leave agriculture — to build something significant.

“Government is watching what AYuTe is building, and we like what we see. Every innovator on this stage tonight is proof that Uganda’s science and technology agenda is not an abstract policy document — it is alive on our farms, in our processing sheds, and in the hands of young people who refused to wait for permission to solve real problems,” he said.

William Matovu, Country Director of Heifer International Uganda, said Season 5 marks a turning point for the programme — not just in scale, but in precision.

“Four seasons ago, we set out to prove that Uganda’s next generation of agricultural transformation would be led by its youth. Tonight, that is no longer a promise, it is a track record. Season 5 asked every applicant to solve a specific, documented problem in our agri food  system, and the innovators standing here tonight did exactly that. Go Big. Go Bold was never just a theme. It was an instruction, and they took it seriously.”

Season 5 sharpened the Challenge around clearly defined barriers facing farmers and agricultural businesses. The national AgriTech track sought locally adapted technologies for areas including climate-smart production, livestock and aquaculture, post-harvest management, mechanization, energy, markets and finance. The Busoga-focused Agribusiness track backed enterprises turning raw produce into market-ready goods and businesses converting agricultural waste and inefficiencies into value.

Past champions have gone on to scale real solutions for real farmers: from Charles Nuwagaba’s irrigation pump innovation, which took the inaugural 2022 title, to Simon Peter Okoci’s Smart Kuku Brooder in season 2, Assumpta Nakalema’s solar-powered egg incubator in season 3, and, most recently, Etyang Aaron’s Grain-Guard Monitor, which took Season 4’s top prize for tackling post-harvest grain losses. Season 5’s winners join that lineage — and raise the bar for what youth-led agritech can look like in Uganda.