By Kodjo Adams
Accra, Aug. 16, GNA – A finalist of the Fidelity Bank Greentech Challenge has praised the jury for offering innovative business development ideas for start-ups within the agritech business space.
Mr. Derrick Anna, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Axis Drone Survey, a finalist for the commercialisation category of the challenge, said the jury’s recommendations during the pitch session were business development-orientated and innovative.
He was speaking at a pitch event organised by the Fidelity Bank for the Greentech Innovation Challenge.
The Bank’s GreenTech Innovation Challenge will provide GHS60,000 to ten agritech businesses, GHS 100,000 to four scale-ups, and GHS 200,000 to a commercial business operation.
After the pitch sessions, three agritech businesses – Skin Gourmet, Farm 360, and Axis Drone Services, made it to the final of the commercialisation category, while 10 and four finalists made it to the ideation and scale-up finals, respectively.
The final, which is scheduled to take place on August 27, will also feature a pitch session where the winners of the three categories—commercialisation, ideation, and scale-up—will be announced.
The CEO for Axis Drone Survey noted that the recommendations by the jury would have a significant impact on the operations of his business.
“While we are happy with everything the jury said, they want us to zoom into the work with the smallholder farmers more. Although we do other things, they recommended innovative business ideas on how we can engage the smallholder farmers and how we can improve our operations with them,” he said.
Miss Nana Yaa Ofori-Koree, Head, Partnerships and Sustainability, and a member of the jury, said the purpose of the challenge was to stimulate sustainable growth of the local economy.
She said the projects displayed by the participants were promising, noting that the grants provided by the Bank would improve their businesses and food security in Ghana.
“We note that once we support these young entrepreneurs in what they are doing in the agritech space, we can hope for better work in their businesses and food security in the country.
“Sitting there as a judge to see what the grants will be used for was quite refreshing and promising as well. It has been very innovative in that we are seeing diverse types of projects and different ideas,” she said.
GNA