Make-IT in Africa GreenAPI Program – Smart Agriculture 2023

Are you a Smart Agriculture startup founder? Do you have an innovation that has the potential to promote climate-smart agri-practices in Africa? Are you eager to scale in Senegal?

Then the GreenAPI: Smart Agriculture Program is looking for you!

The ‘GreenAPI: Smart Agriculture Program’ is jointly implemented by Make-IT in Africa and Orange Middle East & Africa. It aims to improve agricultural practices in Africa by creating wider and better access to smart agriculture services for smallholder farmers, companies, and other value chain actors.

Specifically, the ‘GreenAPI Program: Smart Agriculture’ leverages Digital Agricultural Platforms (DAPs) to bundle smart agricultural products and services and thereby allow smallholder farmers to access a full range of services with the potential to improve their productivity and livelihood through a one-stop shop.

Make-IT in Africa and Orange have recognized DAPs as a logical path to improve market access for Smart Agriculture startups and scale their innovations through integrating their products or services with platforms.

The GreenAPI: Smart Agriculture Program therefore facilitates business partnerships between Smart Agriculture startups and DAPs. The program empowers startups to integrate their products and services with DAPs by providing them with all the skills required to plan and implement the integration and offering them a unique opportunity to be matched with a DAP to design and pilot a joint service offering with a long-term viable business partnership as a result.

About Make-IT in Africa

Make-IT in Africa is a strong foundations for innovation by empowering African #InnovationEcosystems. We encourage startups, innovation enablers, and political partners to connect, exchange, and scale digital solutions. The goal is to make these #InnovationEcosystems future-ready – to build a resilient environment for digital visionaries and their partners. So, they can create impactful change in Africa – socially, environmentally, and economically.Since the start of our project we have been collaborating with a network of strong allies from innovation enablers to the priva... read more

Make-IT in Africa GreenAPI Program – Smart Agriculture

Aim and Benefits of Make-IT in Africa GreenAPI Program – Smart Agriculture

The power of collaboration: Bundling digital agricultural services through win-win business partnerships.

In this program, we believe in win-win business partnerships between Digital Agriculture Platforms (DAPs) and Smart Agriculture startups.

• DAPs offer you the unique opportunity to expand your customer base fast and cost-effectively.
• DAPs allow you to integrate your product or service with data and services from other providers enhancing your value proposition and business model.
• Offering your product or service via a digital platform does not only unlock new distribution channels but also new revenue streams for your company.

Requirements for Make-IT in Africa GreenAPI Program – Smart Agriculture Qualification

• Your company is for-profit and registered as an independent legal entity.
• Your business is operating in Senegal or in any Western African country (ECOWAS) and Cameroon, with plans for scaling operations into Senegal.
• The tech solution provided by your company addresses real pain points in the agricultural value chain.
• Your company has a minimum of at least 50K USD in revenue or external investment.
• Audited accounts of at least one year (2021 and/or 2022).

Interview date, Process and Venue for Make-IT in Africa GreenAPI Program – Smart Agriculture

Selection Criteria

• Team and commitment to the program (20%): The capacity of the leadership and complementarity of the team as well as the organizational structure will be assessed on supporting and improving the delivery and quality of the product. The motivation and capacity to build and sustain partnerships will be reviewed as well.
• The commercial value of the business model (20%): The business model shall be assessed against a clear value proposition and level of innovation, a clearly defined target customer profile, and viable revenue streams. The complementarity of the business model and the adaptability of the revenue model should also be factored in.
• Scaling strategy (15%): Here the company’s objectives and strategy are assessed as well as their scaling plans. Particular attention shall be put on a strategic approach to make-or-buy-or-partner decisions, e.g., which services and products are to be developed in-house, which ones can be acquired, and which ones will be covered by partners. The company should be able to demonstrate the real business case for scaling through building business partnerships by integrating their services with digital agricultural platform providers.
• Traction (15%): The applicant must demonstrate clear signs of traction in terms of the number of users as well as revenue streams. If any outside funding has been raised before, it’s a plus.
• Technical infrastructure (15%): The product infrastructure and design shall be assessed for functionality and user experience. Preferably there is a video with a demo of the solution or at least a link to a website provided where the product or service is clearly explained
• Legal compliance (15%): The company’s compliance with existing business regulations, specifically regarding data and technical infrastructure, will be assessed. To assess possible vulnerabilities through partnerships, the protection of intellectual property and key assets will be reviewed thoroughly.

Application Deadline

How to Apply

For more details,visit Make-IT in Africa website