Naledi Magowe, co-founder of Brastorne Enterprises, has been named the winner of the prestigious SAIS Female Founder Award 2025, a pan-African initiative recognising women-led startups driving digital innovation and social impact in agriculture, food, and climate sectors.
Magowe’s award-winning product, mAgri, is a USSD-based platform that connects rural smallholder farmers to vital information, markets, and peers—all without needing internet access. The platform enables farmers using basic mobile phones to access agricultural advice, pricing data, and digital tools, positioning them to fully participate in the digital economy. Brastorne will receive in-kind support worth up to €30,000 to scale its solution.
The SAIS Female Founder Award is part of the Scaling Digital Agriculture Innovations through Start-ups (SAIS) project, implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
The competition attracted over 200 applications from across the continent, showcasing the depth of talent and resilience among Africa’s women innovators. A jury of experts selected three standout winners for their unique business models, technological depth, and commitment to social impact.
The second prize was awarded to Hafsah Jumare of Coamana in Nigeria. Her startup offers a digital platform that helps traditional agricultural market leaders manage their networks and access trade opportunities, credit, and insurance, tackling fragmentation in agricultural value chains. Coamana will receive €15,000 in in-kind support.
Janet Kuteli from Fortune Credit in Kenya secured third place, receiving €7,000 in in-kind support. Her company focuses on financial inclusion for underserved populations by creating accessible credit products through a tech-touch model.
Organisers praised the winners for offering practical solutions that support income generation, improve nutrition, and promote climate adaptation, while paving the way for a more inclusive African tech ecosystem.
The winners will be featured at the upcoming AfricArena Summit in September, where attendees can meet and engage with them in person.