A group photograph of selected participants
SIXTEEN STARTUPS drawn from Africa, USA, Portugal and Brazil have been selected to partake in Mohammed VI Polytechnic University’s (UM6) Impulse Acceleration Programme in Morocco, Switzerland and the USA.
The programme, which began on January 13, 2020, has three Ghanaian Agritech startups, Esoko, SAYeTECH and Trotro Tractor, selected from 350 applications received after the Impulse African roadshow that made a stop in Accra, last August.
Commenting on the programme, Adnane Alaoui Soulimani, Impulse Program Director, explained that the three-month startup training programme for Agritech, Biotech and Mining Tech startups included best-in-class business curriculums, value-added mentoring opportunities and intensive connections with ecosystem players in Morocco, Switzerland and the USA.
According to him, the Impulse programme seeks to reinforce OCP Group’s innovation capabilities, bring innovative solutions to the smallholder farmers in Africa and to support the entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystems in Morocco and the rest of the African continent.
Speaking on the benefits of the programme, Daniel Assare Kyei, PhD, Chief Executive Officer, Esoko Limited, stated, “Esoko is excited to be selected among top-notch Agritech companies across Africa to participate in the Impulse Acceleration programme. As a company devoted to pioneering innovations in the agricultural value chains, our participation in this highly relevant acceleration programme has opened before us immense opportunities to even bring more innovative digital services to Ghana and Africa’s smallholder farmers.”
Kamal Yakub from Trotro Tractor, said, “We are excited to be part of the Impulse Accelerator because of their approach. The alignment of their objectives to that of the selected startups makes it easy to find synergy for growth especially at this stage of our journey. The selection of speakers, facilitators and mentors from various sectors with focus on innovation and excellence in business makes it more exciting and fun.”
“At SAYeTECH, we design smart machines for African agriculture, focusing on the pain points of the smallholder farmer. The OCP’s Impulse Accelerator is providing us mentorship with a valuable and far-reaching network of investors and collaborators to tap into to develop improved solutions for Africa’s smallholder farmers,” Theodore Ohene-Botchway, Chief Technical Officer of SAYeTECH stated.
BY Samuel Boadi