28 startups, 16 countries, One mission

February 26, 2017 | February 20, 2017 | BfE Startup Recruitment

Please welcome our 12 clients that have recently started the BfE programme this January:

1. Ajima Farms and General Enterprises Nigeria Limited – Nigeria 

Ajima farms and general enterprises Nigeria limited was launched in 2015. This was after securing a US$100,000 grant from United States African Development Foundation power Africa off grid energy challenge. They initiated the Waste-to-Watt project that deploys biogas renewable technology so as to provide affordable electricity and to power productive activities in the community. Their major targets are the communities that are off grid. These are the Riji and Khuwizi communities with a population of 1500 people. They target amenities such as schools, health centers and farm clusters.

2. Projet Production Solaire – Togo

Projet Production Solaire Togo aims to improve the living conditions in ten villages located far from Togo’s electric grid network by selling potable water extracted from borehole wells equipped with pumps powered by high-quality photovoltaic cells. These pumps are produced by Lorentz in Germany. The solar generator has a nominal power of 3 to 4 kilowatt-peak per unit of installation. From its establishment in 2012, the firm has installed more than 100 water-pumping systems following successful bids to major organisations and provides technical assistance as well.

3. SunLight Energy Ventures – Nigeria 

SunLight Energy Ventures seeks to alleviate the deplorable standard of living in rural communities of Northern Nigeria, as well as improve the primary health care system of these communities by providing access to clean, affordable, efficient and reliable electricity via its solar DC microgrids scheme. These community microgrids are also inclusive of a water pumping system for domestic and agricultural uses; a ‘solar home system’ for use in the community healthcare center and street/security lights which illuminate these villages at night, further reducing insurgency attacks on these villages.

4. Guavay Company Limited – Tanzania 

Guavay is the first commercial-grade producer of quality organic fertilizer in Tanzania. The company seeks to build a strong local brand for its fertilizer while offering crop planting advice to farmers. The company uses a fraction of huge and poorly disposed organic waste from food markets, residential areas and local food catering, to process and produce 100% nutrient rich solid organic fertilizer. The product is branded HAKIKA (Swahili word meaning indeed) to emphasize high performance to our esteemed customers. Hakika organic fertilizer has proven excellence performance for vegetable, fruits farming and landscaping already in the market.

5. Farmway – South Africa 

We are a 100% Black, and significantly women owned, enterprise specialising in the sourcing, processing and supply of high quality agricultural products to the retail,

FMCG and hospitality industries. Our focus is to create value for all our stakeholders by bridging the gap between small emerging black farmers and markets through a range of initiatives including:

• Adding value to raw products through localised agro-processing hubs

• Building economic and technological capacity amongst emerging farmers, and

• Creating channels to address food security and sustainability concerns

6. Hutano Technologies – Zimbabwe

Hutano Technologies is a youth-driven software development company based in Harare, Zimbabwe that has developed proprietary electronic health record systems that will utilise block-chain technology for healthcare providers in Sub-Saharan Africa. Our solution is custom-built for healthcare providers in Africa and aims to help healthcare providers by utilising technology to reduce administrative tasks and costs, and provide a better experience for patients. The software enables providers to better engage with their patients through bulk sms platforms as well as empowering patients with their health information.

7. MCA Technologies – Tanzania 

MCA Technologies is a firm that partners with international NGOs to target crop productivity and soil fertility in Tanzania. The central proposition is a manure spreader, a scalable and sustainable form of technology. Currently, most Tanzanian farmers either spread manure by hand, an inefficient and labour-intensive process mainly undertaken by women, or simply not spread any manure at all. As a result, 91% of rural households have soil erosion problems and crops yield only 20-30% of their full potential. The manure spreader can therefore improve productivity and income, while reducing the labour intensiveness of manure spreading.

8. Iscom Tradelink Enterprises – Kenya

Iscom Tradelink Enterprises is a registered enterprise developing Moto Smart Biomass Briquettes as cooking and heating fuel. The briquettes are made from agricultural waste and/or plant residues, such as sawdust and maize cobs, and offer a clean, healthy, affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern alternative to charcoal, kerosene and firewood. The business operates under the renewable energy generation sector of the Kenyan economy, which takes advantage of the over 1.6 million tons of agricultural waste generated annually in the country. More generally, it represents a practical intervention against climate change in the region.

9. Iftiin Holdings Limited – Somalia 

Iftiin (meaning ‘light’) is a for-profit high-impact business venture that has been formed to import and distribute quality solar lights to the Somali peninsula, defined as South Central (Mogadishu and surrounds), Somaliland and Puntland. Iftiin will become the dominant provider of solar lights and solar products in Somalia. This socially driven business has the objective to provide light and power, decrease poverty and improve the quality of life for millions of low-income Somali households through the introduction of high quality solar products at affordable prices.

10. Electrocook Limited – Kenya 

Electrocook is a new African social enterprise focused on developing a completely clean and healthy cook stove that is significantly cheaper to cook with than the most commonly used fuels in Kenya (in particular charcoal, which is unhealthy and environmentally damaging). Electrocook has raised funds to complete technical feasibility checks, including the design and manufacture of a locally appropriate, highly efficient electric stove. The electric stove is around 40% cheaper to use than an efficient charcoal stove. Electrocook has sold all 40 of the stoves it has manufactured to date.

11. Arusha Women Entrepreneur – Tanzania

Arusha Women Entrepreneur is a social enterprise that involves unemployed women in the production and marketing of organic peanut butter, controlled for aflatoxin contamination. AWE uses premium, sustainably sourced groundnuts that benefit hundreds of smallholder farmers in Tanzania. After being processed, the peanut butter is sold to supermarkets, retail stores and farmers’ markets. AWE works with World Vision to educate smallholder farmers on growing groundnuts and then purchases high quality groundnuts from them, thereby increasing the financial independence of these farmers. Its female employees also benefit from increased income and independence.

12. Givo – Hong Kong 

Givo is the world’s first mobile app that allows users to create customised news feeds for causes and topics they care about. These BuzzFeed-like, bitesize news stories go straight to their mobile phones, making it more convenient to stay up-to-date with both local and global causes. They can share and repost inspirational photos and stories onto Givo, Facebook and Twitter, so that their friends and followers can be inspired too. Charities can directly post photos and stories onto their supporters’ newsfeeds, at the tap of a button. Users can also directly donate through the app. Donation activity is tracked, and can be shared to all their friends too.