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Applications Open for the 7th Annual GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition – Africa’s Youth Agrifood Entrepreneurs Invited to Drive Food Systems Transformation with a US$160,000 Prize Pool

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GoGettaz

Africa’s high entrepreneurship rates further underscore the continent as a potential global leader in youth-driven enterprise, innovation, and job creation

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, April 3, 2025/APO Group/ –The 2025 GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize launches its seventh annual competition today in search for Africa’s most promising young co-founders and founders across Africa who have launched businesses across Africa’s agrifood value chain “from seed to fork”. Judges will be looking for innovative, scalable, and impact-driven agripreneurs (aged 18 to 35) who have built tech-savvy, sustainable businesses tackling food security, job creation, and equitable economic growth. Applications are open from 3 April to 10 June 2025. https://GoGettaz.Africa

In September 2025, GoGettaz finalists will pitch their businesses live on stage in Dakar, Senegal during the annual Africa Food Systems Forum (AFSF) taking place 31 August to 5 September 2025. Two grand prizes of US$50,000 each will be awarded to the most outstanding male and female-led agribusinesses. An additional US$60,000 in Impact Awards will recognize businesses excelling in key areas such as technology, innovation, nutrition, food security, improving rural livelihoods, climate resilience, gender equity, natural resource conservation, and job creation.

The GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition is an integral part of the Africa Food Systems Forum (AFSF), the world’s premier forum for African agriculture and food systems, bringing together stakeholders to take practical action and share lessons that will empower Africa’s young leaders for food systems transformation.

With the 2025 AFSF theme “Africa’s Youth: Leading Collaboration, Innovation and Implementation of Agri-Food Systems Transformation,” the GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize competition is set to empower youth entrepreneurs from across West, Northern, Southern, Central, and Eastern Africa who looking to showcase, grow, and scale, their agrifood businesses.

As Africa faces mounting challenges of lack of infrastructure, access to finance, job creation, and food insecurity, its youth are stepping up as powerful agents of transformation. From the bustling trade hubs of West Africa to the agricultural heartlands of Southern Africa, young innovators are developing solutions that not only tackle immediate crises but also pave the way for a sustainable future. The GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition serves as a platform for these change-makers, offering mentorship, exposure, networking, and resources to enhance their impact across Africa’s diverse regions.

“I am continually amazed by the ingenuity and determination of the young entrepreneurs we meet through the GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition each year,” said Svein Tore Holsether, President and Chief Executive Officer of Yara International and GoGettaz co-founder. “Their ability to leverage technology and innovative business models showcases the immense potential of the agrifood sector and the pivotal role of entrepreneurship in sustainable development. As we launch the 2025 campaign, we are inspired by the opportunity to empower and support young entrepreneurs who are enhancing job creation, uplifting communities, and nourishing Africa’s growing population.”

With Africa set to represent one-quarter of the global population and one-third of the world’s youth by 2050, according to United Nations projections, the continent’s youth, over 70% who are younger than 30 years of age, hold immense potential. Africa’s high entrepreneurship rates further underscore the continent as a potential global leader in youth-driven enterprise, innovation, and job creation.

“Africa’s youth are brimming with creative energy and ideas to solve myriad problems with innovative solutions,” remarked GoGettaz co-founder Strive Masiyiwa, Founder and Chairman of Econet Group who also served as Chair of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa for several years.

“They aren’t waiting around for the perfect conditions; they are seizing the moment and embracing technology to revolutionize the agrifood industry across the continent,” he noted. “They are launching remarkable ventures, but to ensure they can grow and scale, our youth need the right support, access to capital, skills, and enabling environments to grow their young businesses into multimillion-dollar pan-African and global agribusinesses.”

“Our amazing young entrepreneurs deserve both recognition and support, which is why GoGettaz exists.” he said.

Since its inception in 2019, the GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition has spotlighted diverse young entrepreneurs building innovative agribusinesses from traditional farming operations to high-tech AI-driven ventures. The 2025 competition is open to all African agripreneur-led businesses with headquarters on the African continent. Applications will be accepted in English and French.

The 2025 GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition is a rallying point for Africa’s brightest young minds to pioneer transformative solutions and drive meaningful change

“The 2025 GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition is a rallying point for Africa’s brightest young minds to pioneer transformative solutions and drive meaningful change.” said Amath Pathe Sene, Managing Director of the Africa Food Systems Forum.

“As Africa leads the charge in innovating for resilience, I am eager to see the groundbreaking climate-smart solutions that emerge from the 2025 contestants. The 2024 winners set a high standard by using innovative techniques aimed at preserving nutritional value using renewable energy and natural fibers to produce eco-friendly sanitary pads, improving health and hygiene. With food security under threat, exacerbated by climate change, Africa’s agripreneurs are rising to the challenge, transforming agricultural practices, and spearheading sustainable technologies.” he said.

Beyond the prize money, top finalists will gain access to mentorship, training, introduction to investors, and other opportunities for collaboration.

How to Apply

GoGettaz invites young African agripreneurs across the continent to join the GoGettaz vibrant community and participate in the 2025 GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition. Eligible applicants must :

  • Be 35 or younger at the time of submission.
  • Be a citizen of an African Union member country.
  • Serve as a founder or co-founder of a legally registered venture operating in Africa (ventures must be registered by 10 June 2025).

Application Process :

  1. Join the GoGettaz Community: Follow @ GoGettazAfrica on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok, and YouTube to connect with peers and industry leaders. Share your journey using hashtags #GrowEntrepreneurs and #TransformFood.
  2. Visit the GoGettaz Website: Access resources, eligibility details, terms and conditions, and updates at https://GoGettaz.Africa.
  3. Submit Your Entry: Complete the online competition application on the website. You can save and revisit your application to ensure quality. https://GoGettaz.Africa
  4. Meet the Deadline: Applications must be submitted by 10 June 2025 to be considered for the US$160,000 prize pool and a chance to pitch LIVE at the AFSF Summit in Dakar, Senegal in September.

For additional details, to apply, or to learn how you can contribute to driving sustainable food systems transformation in Africa, visit https://GoGettaz.Africa. Stay engaged by connecting with @ GoGettazAfrica on social media.

Application Deadline: 10 June 2025

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of 2025 GoGettaz Agripreneur Prize Competition

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China’s digital hub Hangzhou hosts conference on AI, OPC

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June 30, 2026

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OPC

HANGZHOU, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 30 June 2026 – The inaugural AI+OPC Innovation and Development Conference was held from June 29 to 30 in Shangcheng District, Hangzhou, capital city of east China’s Zhejiang Province. Centered on one-person company (OPC), a new form of smart economy in the AI era, the conference program comprised one opening ceremony and two parallel breakout sessions.

It gathered around 400 delegates from government departments, industry associations, financial institutions, AI enterprises and OPC startup operators across the country. Participants exchanged insights on AI innovation pathways and cross-industry integration strategies, injecting strong impetus into Hangzhou’s ambition to develop a national benchmark hub for AI+OPC entrepreneurship.

A series of key launches and milestone ceremonies took place during the opening segment. Official releases included the 2026 national OPC development observation report, Hangzhou’s 2026–2028 action plan and supporting policies to build a national AI+OPC entrepreneurship hub, and a catalog of actionable AI+OPC application scenarios. Attendees also received an in-depth interpretation of the specifications for AI-enabled OPC community services and evaluation.

The ceremony featured multiple landmark initiatives: plaque awarding for Hangzhou’s priority AI+OPC incubation communities and dedicated observation sites, the official launch of the AI+OPC Community Alliance initiative, and a kickoff marking the official construction of the national AI+OPC entrepreneurship hub.

The open forum session featured keynote speeches from distinguished industry and academic leaders. Speakers included Pan Yunhe, former executive vice president of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and professor at Zhejiang University; Liang Gui, former executive vice governor of Jiangxi Province and ex-director of the Torch High Technology Industry Development Center under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology; and Zou Ling, head of Hong Hub, Shangcheng District’s single-member unicorn startup acceleration community, who shared cutting-edge insights from varied perspectives.

A panel dialogue followed, bringing together representatives from Moshu OPC Community (Beijing E-Town), the School of Future Science and Engineering at Soochow University, Qingju Hub · Future Digital Intelligence Port (Shangcheng District), and Puhua Capital for in-depth industry exchanges.

Complementary concurrent events held throughout the conference included an OPC capital-industry matchmaking salon, a symposium on industry-education integration for AI-powered OPC sectors, and a national exchange forum for AI+OPC community practitioners.

OPC has emerged as a vibrant new engine driving economic vitality and underpinning high-quality development. Against the backdrop of a new development era, the inaugural Hangzhou AI+OPC Innovation and Development Conference unites OPC innovators nationwide.

Drawing on the creative energy of millions of independent super-individual operators, the event delivers sustained digital momentum to fuel Hangzhou’s super-individual economy, while rolling out replicable local practices and actionable Hangzhou solutions to advance high-quality growth of smart economies nationwide.

 

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Business

Hainan FTP marks 6-month milestone of special customs operations, signs deals during Hong Kong visit

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7 hours ago

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June 30, 2026

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Hong Kong

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 29 June 2026 – As the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) marked the six-month milestone since the launch of its full special customs operations, a Hainan provincial delegation wrapped up a three-day visit to Hong Kong. During the visit, the delegation signed deepened cooperation agreements with several major local chambers of commerce and promoted the latest policies introduced since the island-wide special customs operations took effect.

According to data released by Hainan Province during the visit, Hainan’s foreign trade has surged since the launch of special customs operations. As of June 17, the province’s total goods imports and exports reached RMB 173.98 billion (approximately US$24 billion), up 54.6% year on year. Imports of zero-tariff goods hit RMB 2.645 billion, a 120% jump that generated tariff savings of RMB 440 million. A total of 172,100 new market entities were registered—a 61% increase—including 1,240 foreign-invested enterprises. Zero-tariff items now account for 74% of all tariff lines, benefiting more than 12,000 market entities.

During the Hong Kong visit, China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Hainan Provincial Committee (CCPIT Hainan) signed separate deepened cooperation MOUs with the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, Hong Kong and the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce. Under the MOUs, the parties will establish a regular liaison mechanism for the periodic exchange of economic and trade information, and will promote collaboration in areas including professional services, green finance, the digital economy, supply chain management, and cultural tourism. Mutual enterprise service desks will be set up to provide consulting services regarding policies and projects. The parties will leverage their complementary strengths to help Chinese mainland enterprises access overseas markets via Hong Kong, while facilitating Hong Kong companies’ entry into the Chinese mainland through Hainan.

The delegation also held talks with the British Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong and the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, exploring ways for British and American businesses to leverage Hainan’s value-added processing tariff exemptions and multifunctional free trade accounts to position themselves in regional supply chains and cross-border investment and financing. HSBC, De Beers, and other British firms are already active in Hainan, and the UK served as the Guest of Honor country at the 2025 China International Consumer Products Expo.

According to industry analysts, amid the shifting international trade landscape, Hainan is leveraging Hong Kong’s “super-connector” role to accelerate its integration with global capital and business networks, while simultaneously offering the Hong Kong business community a policy testing ground for entering the Chinese mainland market.

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Business

Africa’s Grid Constraints Come into Focus as Regional Markets Push Toward Integration

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4 days ago

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June 26, 2026

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Africa

Regional power pools are advancing and renewable pipelines are growing, but the regulatory and financial architecture needed to connect them remains the continent’s most critical infrastructure gap – an issue central to the Power Africa Today conference at AEW 2026

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, June 25, 2026/APO Group/ –Africa’s electricity demand is projected to nearly double to 2,291 TWh by 2050, requiring an estimated $30 billion in transmission and grid infrastructure investment to unlock and integrate new generation capacity. Yet across the continent, grid systems are struggling to keep pace with rapidly expanding supply pipelines and rising demand.

In Nigeria, repeated nationwide grid collapses as recently as February 2026 underscore the fragility of aging transmission infrastructure. In East Africa, tower failures along the 428 km Loiyangalani-Suswa line temporarily stranded output from Lake Turkana Wind Power – Africa’s largest wind installation. Meanwhile, demand growth pressures are accelerating across North Africa, where electricity consumption is expected to rise by around 50% by 2035, driven by urbanization, desalination projects, and climate-related temperature increases.

Despite these constraints, generation investment continues to accelerate across Africa, particularly in renewables, gas-to-power and hybrid systems. However, without equivalent investment in transmission and interconnection, much of this new capacity risks being underutilized or stranded. This growing imbalance between generation and grid capacity is driving a sharper focus on system-wide planning and regional market design – issues that will be central to the newly launched Power Africa Today conference at African Energy Week 2026. The platform will bring together policymakers, utilities, investors and developers to explore how regional interconnection, cross-border trading frameworks and financing structures can better align generation growth with grid expansion.

Power Markets Experiment with Reform

Alongside infrastructure challenges, Africa’s electricity sector is undergoing gradual – but uneven – market reform. Most countries still operate vertically integrated systems dominated by state utilities, but a growing number are introducing competitive frameworks to attract private capital and improve efficiency.

Zimbabwe opened its electricity market to full private participation across generation, transmission and distribution in 2025, targeting $9 billion in new investment. South Africa is advancing one of the continent’s most ambitious grid expansion programs, with plans for 14,500 km of new transmission lines and 133,000 MVA of transformer capacity by 2034, alongside mechanisms designed to crowd in private financing. Kenya, meanwhile, has introduced open access regulations enabling independent power producers to wheel electricity directly to multiple off-takers, reshaping how generation assets interface with the grid.

Interconnected electricity markets are the foundation of Africa’s industrial future

Regional Integration Remains Fragmented

Efforts to connect Africa’s fragmented power systems are progressing, though at different speeds across regions. In Southern Africa, the World Bank’s RETRADE SAPP program, approved in 2025, is deploying $12 million to strengthen renewable integration and transmission capacity across 12 member states. In East Africa, the Ethiopia–Kenya–Tanzania Electricity Highway is now in trial operations at up to 2,000 MW, marking a significant step toward a more interconnected regional grid.

West Africa is also moving toward deeper integration, with permanent synchronization of the West Africa Power Pool expected in 2026. Analysts, including the African Finance Corporation, argue that such synchronization is critical to unlocking large-scale hydropower potential and industrial demand across the region. Longer term, full synchronization between the Eastern and Southern African power pools – targeted for the end of 2026 – could create one of the world’s largest cross-border electricity trading corridors.

Building Bankable Financial Architectures

While interconnection is advancing, infrastructure alone is not enough to create investable electricity markets. Investors consistently cite the lack of standardized offtake structures, creditworthy counterparties, and cross-border payment guarantees as key barriers to scaling capital deployment.

New models are emerging to address these constraints. Africa GreenCo, operating across Zambia, Namibia and South Africa, is helping to aggregate independent power producers under a single creditworthy intermediary, standardizing power purchase agreements and reducing counterparty risk. At a broader level, AUDA-NEPAD estimates that Africa requires around $30 billion in additional investment to complete priority transmission corridors and establish three fully interconnected regional trading blocs by 2030.

“Interconnected electricity markets are the foundation of Africa’s industrial future,” said NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the African Energy Chamber. “The question at Africa Energy Week is not whether integration is possible – the evidence is already there. The question is which regulatory frameworks and financial structures will get projects to financial close, and which markets will be ready when capital is looking to move.”

The Power Africa Today conference will run alongside AEW 2026, taking place October 12–16 in Cape Town, and will focus on the regulatory, financial and infrastructural architecture needed to build interconnected electricity markets capable of attracting institutional capital and delivering reliable, cross-border power at scale.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.

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