Young Ugandan innovators and entrepreneurs have received Shs 205 million in catalytic financing to scale agricultural technologies and businesses aimed at solving practical challenges facing farmers and agricultural value chains. The funding was awarded at the AYuTe Africa Challenge Uganda Season Five awards gala at Sheraton Hotel Kampala. This year's competition attracted 836 applications, up from 307 in 2025, with young entrepreneurs competing under the Agritech Innovation and Agribusiness Entrepreneurship tracks.
The Agritech track focused on youth-led innovations in areas including precision and climate-smart agriculture, livestock and aquaculture technology, post-harvest management, farm mechanisation, energy, digital markets and agricultural finance. The Busoga Agribusiness Entrepreneurship track targeted young entrepreneurs adding value to agricultural produce and turning agricultural waste into commercial products. This increase in applications reflects growing interest among young people in using innovation and entrepreneurship to address challenges in agriculture.
William Matovu, Country Director of Heifer International Uganda, said the programme had deliberately shifted its focus towards solutions addressing clearly defined and documented problems within Uganda’s agri-food system. He said some applicants had identified problems such as post-harvest losses, poor poultry temperature control, limited markets for farmers and the waste of agricultural by-products, and developed businesses around addressing them.
Matovu said AYuTe had, over its five seasons, generated 1,862 ideas, funded 46 ventures and incubated 612 young innovators. He said the latest funding would be accompanied by mentorship and incubation to help the beneficiaries move their innovations from prototypes and early-stage businesses into sustainable enterprises. A cheque can buy equipment, improve a prototype, support certification, strengthen packaging or open a new distribution route.
Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation, Eng. Jonard Asiimwe, challenged the beneficiaries to view the funding as a starting point rather than the end of their journey. 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.
The minister also urged innovators to focus on commercialising their ideas and ensuring that their products respond to real market needs. He encouraged the young entrepreneurs not to become so focused on technology that they lose sight of the customer. Matovu similarly challenged the beneficiaries to remain close to their customers, asking whether their products are affordable, practical in areas with limited connectivity, locally repairable and capable of saving farmers time or money.
Matovu urged them to build sustainable business models and partnerships with researchers, regulators, financial institutions, distributors, farmer organisations, local governments and investors. He said Uganda’s food security and job creation challenges would require collaboration among government, development organisations, the private sector, farmers and young innovators. The programme began in Uganda in 2022 and is designed to provide young innovators with financing, mentorship, incubation and access to business networks.
Key points
- The AYuTe Africa Challenge Uganda Season Five attracted 836 applications from young entrepreneurs.
- The programme has generated 1,862 ideas, funded 46 ventures and incubated 612 young innovators over its five seasons.
- The funding aims to help the beneficiaries move their innovations from prototypes and early-stage businesses into sustainable enterprises.
