The Milken-Motsepe Prize Program awards Aftrak the $1 million Grand Prize to advance green energy in Africa. OMNIVAT was awarded runner-up prize of $250,000
The Milken Institute and the Motsepe Foundation also launched a new FinTech Award in the next installation of the Prize program; winners will be selected in May 2025
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IP & commercialisation: Aftrak is an innovative microgrid solution that integrates energy access with 100% renewable electric agriculture and deep bed farming to boost crop yield, income and ensure sustainable electricity for millions of African smallholder farmers and their communities. Invented and manufactured at the University in partnership with the Consortium for Battery Innovation and Tiyeni, the solution has accelerated from initial concept to successful trial in less than 18 month. Read the full article here.
“Humanitarian aid should never be a challenge for African societies. If we can coordinate and manage production among 33 million smaller holder farmers, we have enough for ourselves and to feed the world.” Tendai Chitapi, the co-founder of the agritech startup Kuronga, has lived and worked in some of the biggest cities in the world. During a 17-year career in finance, his humble beginnings in Harare took him to Durban, then Shanghai, Dubai, and finally Sandton. No longer inspired by the glamour of a big city life, Chitapi packed it all up to find home on a farm in Vaal River. Read the full article here.
Africa’s first solar-powered tractor is undergoing field tests in Malawi. Experts say the hand-operated “Aftrak,” or Africa tractor, could help smallholder farmers improve crop yields. Here’s a refined version: The solar-powered ‘Aftrak’ tractor aims to assist Malawi’s smallholder farmers in breaking through the tough top layer of their soil. Read the full article here.
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