The duo of RiceAfrica and Wicrypt, two Nigerian technology startups have won the sum of $150,000 each from the just concluded LEAP’s Rocket Fuel Pitch Competition in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
While RiceAfrika Technologies is a tech-driven agric optimisation startup that deploys IoT-enabled harvester and its FARMEasy mobile app for smallholder farming communities in Africa, Wicrypt is an innovative Tech startup decentralising internet globally.
Over 10,000 Startups submitted applications from different countries. After rigorous scrutiny, the applicants were down to 220, and only 90 startups were selected to pitch their business ideas in the semi-final. Eight Nigerian Startups participated in the semi-final, and three reached the final stage.
Speaking on the feat, an excited Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Pantami, who was the leader of the Nigerian delegation expressed his delight while maintaining that Nigerian Startups have all it takes to compete with their peers on the global stage.
“I am so proud of our Startups who emerged as the global best in these categories. It is quite a long journey that followed a rigorous process until the end; from over 10,000 applications to the final 12, in which three Nigerians took part and two emerged winners. We are delighted that our startups are not only amazing but went through a lot of nurturing and mentorship to be the best in the world,” he noted.
The Minister stated that Nigeria is on the right track in implementing its National Digital Economy Policy and Strategies to ensure that Nigerian Startups add value to the global tech ecosystem. We are building the ecosystem and making it more conducive for nurturing innovation-driven enterprises. Our startups are creating solutions for the local market that can easily scale to the global market.
The journey started in 2019 shortly after President Muhammadu Buhari unveiled the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) for Digital Nigeria. Now we are reaping the positive benefits of our commitment. In the space of five months, we have Nigerians that are making us proud on the global stage.
