The agritech sector, often defined by its demand for capital, innovation, and logistical strength, has long been perceived as a male-dominated domain. But across Nigeria, a new wave of female entrepreneurs is challenging this narrative, delivering scalable solutions, transforming agricultural ecosystems, and building inclusive, tech-driven food systems.
Meet eight trailblazing women who are redefining leadership in agriculture and technology.
Affiong Williams – Founder and CEO of ReelFruit
Affiong Williams is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of ReelFruit, a leading Nigerian company specializing in the processing, packaging, and distribution of premium dried fruit and nut snacks. Since its inception in 2012, ReelFruit has evolved into a trusted consumer brand, with its products available in over 450 retail outlets across Nigeria, and distributed through diverse channels including airlines, schools, hotels, and international e-commerce platforms like Amazon.
Driven by a commitment to unlocking Nigeria’s agricultural potential, Williams has positioned ReelFruit at the forefront of value-added agribusiness. Her leadership blends innovation with market insight, delivering products that not only meet global quality standards but also create meaningful economic opportunities across the agricultural value chain.
Williams’ entrepreneurial journey has garnered international recognition, including winning the prestigious Women in Business competition in the Netherlands. More significantly, she has established a robust supply network that spans Nigeria, Ghana, Gambia, and Côte d’Ivoire, ensuring consistent sourcing and year-round availability, an achievement that reinforces ReelFruit’s competitive edge in the market.
Hafsah Jumare – Founder and CEO of CoAmana
Hafsah Jumare is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of CoAmana, an agri-tech company she established in 2018 with a mission to modernize agricultural trade across Africa. Leveraging data and technology, CoAmana is building intelligent market systems that connect trade hubs, enhance operational efficiency, promote environmental sustainability, and ensure fair economic returns for smallholder farmers.
Under her leadership, CoAmana has grown to support more than 15,000 smallholder farmers and agribusinesses, providing them with essential access to digital marketplaces and financial services that drive growth and resilience.
With a strong academic background in behavioral economics and a Master’s degree in Applied Economics from the University of Cape Town, Jumare brings a nuanced, research-informed approach to solving systemic challenges in agribusiness. Her work is grounded in years of experience designing and testing financial and market-access solutions tailored to the needs of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).
Jumare is passionate about harnessing the power of technology and data to create inclusive, scalable agribusiness ecosystems that uplift rural communities and strengthen food systems across the continent.
Aisha Bashir – Founder and CEO of Cam Dairy Foods
Aisha Bashir is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Cam Dairy Foods Limited, a pioneering agribusiness advancing a sustainable, locally-sourced dairy ecosystem in West Africa. Through Cam Dairies, she is transforming pastoralist livelihoods by identifying herders with grazing rights, organizing them into cooperatives, and equipping them with the tools, training, and infrastructure needed to produce premium dairy products.
The company oversees the entire dairy value chain from quality assurance and logistics to digital payment systems, ensuring efficiency, traceability, and equitable income for its network of pastoralist producers.
Bashir brings a rich blend of strategic, entrepreneurial, and operational experience to her work. She previously served as Special Assistant to the President and CEO of the Dangote Group, where she contributed to corporate finance and business development initiatives. Her global perspective was further shaped through consulting work for Mountain Hazelnuts in Bhutan, where she designed mobile payment solutions for smallholder farmers.
Earlier in her career, she co-founded and led product development at PAGA, one of Nigeria’s earliest mobile payment pioneers, and began her professional journey as a business analyst at Accenture.
The vision for Cam Dairies took shape during her time at Stanford University, where she earned an MBA from the Graduate School of Business, an MSc in Environment and Resources with a concentration in land use and agriculture, and a BA (Honours) in International Relations. Her work today reflects a deep commitment to inclusive economic development, sustainability, and agricultural transformation.
Omolara Olarerin – Co-founder and CEO of PocketFood
Omolara Olarerin is the Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of PocketFood, a Nigerian food-tech startup revolutionizing access to healthy, affordable meals across urban Africa.
Since its launch in August 2022, PocketFood has redefined convenience and nutrition through technology-driven food delivery systems. The company has delivered over 350,000 meals, secured strategic funding, expanded operations to three major Nigerian cities, and earned multiple local and international accolades.
Olarerin is driven by a passion for leveraging innovation to improve lives. At the forefront of PocketFood, she blends her technical acumen with a strong commitment to health and wellness, building a platform that empowers individuals to make better food choices while addressing urban food insecurity.
Her academic background includes a Bachelor’s degree in Soil Science from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, and a Master’s degree from the University of Hertfordshire. With a growing user base and a mission rooted in impact, Olarerin continues to push the boundaries of Africa’s food-tech ecosystem, creating scalable solutions that are reshaping how people eat and live.
Aisha Raheem – Co-founder and CEO of Farmz2U
Aisha Raheem is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Farmz2U, an agritech enterprise focused on transforming Africa’s food systems by equipping smallholder farmers with data-driven tools, insights, and support services to improve productivity and sustainability.
With over a decade of experience across strategy, operations, and project management, Raheem drives the company’s growth through strategic partnerships, business development, and corporate collaborations. Her leadership is central to Farmz2U’s vision of creating a more inclusive, efficient, and sustainable agricultural ecosystem.
Raheem is a prominent figure in Africa’s innovation and entrepreneurship landscape. She is a Harambeans Fellow, a participant in the Endeavor African Agritech Scale Up initiative supported by FMO Entrepreneurial Bank, and a member of the global Techstars network. Her commitment to social and environmental impact is underscored by her alignment with the United Nations Women’s Empowerment Principles and her membership in Rothschild’s Council for Inclusive Capitalism.
Academically, she holds a degree in Economics from Queen Mary University of London and an Advanced Diploma in Management Accounting from CIMA. Before launching Farmz2U, Raheem honed her expertise in asset management, serving as a Project Manager at Schroders and as an Institutional Client Service Associate at SEI Investments. These roles helped shape her strong foundation in financial strategy, product development, and operational execution.
Today, Raheem channels this experience into leading Farmz2U, ensuring the platform delivers end-to-end value from farmers to suppliers while driving forward its mission of building resilient and future-ready food systems across Africa.
Rebecca Andeshi – Founder of Grocircular Agro Services
Rebecca Andeshi is the founder of Grocircular Agro Services, an innovative agribusiness committed to delivering sustainable, future-focused solutions tailored to the needs of today’s farmers. As a social entrepreneur, Andeshi focuses on the production and distribution of organic fertilizers, veterinary consumables, and advanced agri-technologies that promote environmentally conscious and efficient farming practices across Nigeria.
A graduate of the Orange Corners Nigeria entrepreneurship program, Andeshi leveraged the initiative to drive a revenue growth of over 40% for her company. Her momentum continued post-OCIF, when she secured a competitive follow-up grant backed by the African Development Bank, the Global Center on Adaptation, and the Climate Investment Funds, with technical implementation support from AfriLabs.
Through Grocircular, Andeshi remains a passionate advocate for climate-smart agriculture, consistently promoting scalable, eco-friendly innovations that strengthen resilience, improve yields, and empower farmers throughout the agricultural value chain.
Lucy Aniagolu – Founder of Agrodemy
Lucy Aniagolu is the founder of Agrodemy, a dynamic platform dedicated to transforming Africa’s agricultural sector through innovation, education, and digital solutions. Agrodemy operates on e-learning, e-commerce, and e-services, offering a comprehensive ecosystem that supports value addition, skills development, market access, and business growth for agribusiness entrepreneurs.
Through its e-learning academy, Agrodemy provides hands-on, practical agribusiness training that equips users with the knowledge and tools to unlock opportunities across agricultural value chains. Its e-commerce platform connects producers and buyers of processed, packaged, and digital agri-products, while its e-services arm delivers tailored business support, digital tools, and operational resources to enhance productivity and profitability.
Aniagolu brings over five years of experience at the intersection of agribusiness and edtech. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology and Environmental Biology from the University of Nigeria and a Postgraduate Diploma in Technology, Entrepreneurship, and Design from the Nigerian University of Technology and Management (NUTM).
Her professional expertise spans the design and execution of agribusiness training initiatives, development of digital marketplaces, and creation of scalable solutions that empower emerging agricultural entrepreneurs. With a hands-on leadership style, Aniagolu excels at managing teams, delivering technical support, and bridging the divide between traditional farming practices and modern agricultural innovation.
Olapeju Umah – Founder of MyFoodAngels
Olapeju Umah is the founder of MyFoodAngels, formerly known as Mile12MarketWoman, a mission-driven social enterprise she built to provide food access solutions to over 3,000 paying customers.
With a strong commitment to leveraging technology for social good, Umah focuses her work on poverty alleviation and public health across underserved communities in Africa. An Electrical Engineering graduate, she actively supports the advancement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those related to zero hunger and reduced inequalities.
Her advocacy extends to grassroots initiatives, including lobbying government agencies to distribute essential food items to vulnerable populations. Through a growing network of more than 10,000 community members, Umah continues to drive impactful change.
Notably, during the COVID-19 lockdown, she led a team of 10 volunteers in distributing raw food supplies to over 3,000 families affected by the economic fallout—demonstrating her leadership in times of crisis and her commitment to community resilience.
