The agritech industry is a high-stakes, capital-intensive sector demanding innovation, resilience, and often, serious muscle.
From operating heavy machinery to raising substantial funding for large projects, this field has traditionally leaned on male participation. However, the times are changing. Women are now leading, innovating, and redefining what leadership looks like in the industry.
Meet 8 women who are breaking barriers, building solutions, and shaping the future of agritech in Nigeria.
Affiong Williams
Affiong Williams is the chief executive officer and founder of ReelFruit, a Nigerian fruit processing, packaging, and marketing company. Since launching in 2012, ReelFruit has grown into a household name, offering a wide range of dried fruit and nut snacks available in over 450 supermarkets, as well as through airlines, schools, hotels, and even globally via Amazon.
Under William’s leadership, ReelFruit has earned international acclaim, including winning the prestigious Women in Business Competition in the Netherlands. But beyond accolades, her passion lies in transforming Nigeria’s agricultural potential through market-driven, innovative solutions that add real value to local produce.
Williams has built a robust supply chain that spans Nigeria, Ghana, Gambia, and Ivory Coast, ensuring year-round product availability and setting ReelFruit apart in a competitive market.
Hafsah Jumare
Hafsah Jumare is the founder and chief executive officer of CoAmana, an agri-technology company she launched in 2018 to transform Africa’s agricultural trade landscape. Through its innovative, data-driven platform, CoAmana is building smarter market systems that connect agricultural trade hubs across the continent, boosting market efficiency, environmental sustainability, and equitable income for farmers.
Today, CoAmana supports over 15,000 smallholder farmers and businesses, giving them vital access to digital markets and financial tools. With a background in behavioral economics, Jumare brings a unique lens to her work, shaped by years of experience designing and field-testing MSME finance and market information products.
She holds a Master’s degree in Applied Economics from the University of Cape Town and is passionate about leveraging technology and data to create more inclusive and impactful agribusiness ecosystems.
Aisha Bashir
Aisha Bashir is the founder and chief executive officer of Cam Dairy Foods Limited, a company pioneering a sustainable, locally-sourced dairy industry in West Africa. Through Cam Dairies, Bashir is creating wealth for pastoralist communities by identifying herders with grazing rights, organising them into cooperatives, and equipping them with everything they need to produce high-quality dairy products. The company manages the entire value chain from quality control and transportation to payment systems, ensuring their products reach the market efficiently and that pastoralists earn a reliable income.
Bashir holds a wealth of experience. She previously served as Special Assistant to the President and ceo of the Dangote Group, one of Africa’s largest industrial conglomerates, where she worked on business strategy and supported corporate finance initiatives. She also consulted for Mountain Hazelnuts in Bhutan, where she developed mobile payment systems to support farmer transactions. Earlier in her career, she was the co-founder and Head of Product Development and Operations at PAGA, a pioneering Nigerian mobile payments company, and began her professional journey as a business analyst at Accenture.
The concept for Cam Dairies was born 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 focus on land use and agriculture from the School of Earth, Energy and Environmental Sciences, and a BA (Honours) in International Relations.
Omolara Olarerin
Omolara Olarerin is the chief executive officer and co-founder of PocketFood, a Nigerian food management startup transforming the way Africans eat.
Since launching in August 2022, PocketFood has automated the process of healthy eating, making nutritious, affordable meals more accessible through tech-driven delivery solutions. The company has delivered over 350,000 meals, raised critical funding, expanded to three major Nigerian cities, and garnered both local and international recognition with multiple awards.
Driven by a deep passion for innovation and impact, Olalerin believes in the power of technology to solve real-world problems. At the helm of PocketFood, she brings together her technical expertise and her dedication to wellness, building a company that doesn’t just feed people, it empowers them to live better. With a growing customer base and a mission rooted in purpose, Olalerin continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible in Africa’s food tech space. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Soil Science from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta and a Master’s Degree from the University of Hertfordshire.
Aisha Raheem
Aisha Raheem is the co-founder and chief executive officer of Farmz2U, an agritech company working to transform Africa’s food systems by empowering smallholder farmers with data-driven tools and support.
With over 12 years of experience spanning strategy, project management, and operations, Raheem leads strategic partnerships, business development, and corporate engagement initiatives that fuel the company’s mission of building a more efficient, inclusive, and sustainable agricultural sector.
Raheem is a recognised leader in Africa’s innovation ecosystem. She is a Fellow at Harambeans, a member of the Endeavor African Agritech Scale Up program supported by FMO Entrepreneurial Bank, and part of the global Techstars entrepreneurial network. Committed to creating both social and environmental impact, she is a signatory of the United Nations Women’s Empowerment Principles and a member of Rothschild’s Council for Inclusive Capitalism.
Her academic background includes a degree in Economics from Queen Mary, University of London, and an Advanced Diploma in Management Accounting from CIMA. Before founding Farmz2U, she built her career in asset management, holding roles at Schroders as a Project Manager and at SEI Investments as an Institutional Client Service Associate. These experiences gave her deep expertise in product development, financial strategy, and operational excellence.
Today, Raheem channels her business acumen and passion for inclusive growth into leading Farmz2U, ensuring the company delivers value across its ecosystem, from smallholder farmers to suppliers and partners, while staying rooted in its mission of sustainable agriculture for Africa’s future.
Rebecca Andeshi
Rebecca Andeshi is the founder of Grocircular Agro Services, an agribusiness providing sustainable agricultural solutions for the modern farmer. Andeshi is a social entrepreneur who specialises in the production and distribution of organic fertilisers, veterinary consumables, and innovative agri-technologies designed to meet the evolving needs of Nigeria’s agricultural sector.
Andeshi is a graduate of Orange Corners Nigeria. This programme helped her increase her company’s revenue by over 40 percent. Her standout post-OCIF achievement came when she secured a highly competitive follow-up grant from the African Development Bank, the Global Center on Adaptation, and the Climate Investment Funds, with implementation support from AfriLabs.
Through Grocircular, Andeshi continues to champion climate-smart agriculture, pushing for scalable, eco-friendly practices that empower farmers and build resilience across the agricultural value chain.
Lucy Aniagolu
Lucy Aniagolu is the founder of Agrodemy. Agrodemy offers a one-stop platform for value addition, skills development, market access, and business support services. Its impact is built on three pillars: e-learning, e-commerce, and e-services. Through its e-learning academy, Agrodemy delivers practical agribusiness education, helping users tap into value chain opportunities and build entrepreneurial skills. The e-commerce platform connects buyers and sellers of processed, packaged, and digital agricultural products, while its e-services arm provides tools and resources to help agribusiness owners increase efficiency, customer reach, and profitability.
Aniagolu is an accomplished professional with over five years of experience at the intersection of agribusiness and education technology. With a Bachelor of Science 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), Aniagolu has carved out a unique niche as a highly skilled program and project manager.
Her expertise spans the development of agribusiness training programs, digital marketplace products, and e-services tailored to the needs of Africa’s emerging agricultural entrepreneurs. She leads with a hands-on approach, offering technical support, managing dedicated teams, and designing impactful solutions that bridge the gap between traditional farming and modern innovation.
Olapeju Umah
Olapeju Umah is the founder of MyFoodAngels, formerly known as Mile12MarketWoman, a social enterprise she built from the ground up to serve over 3,000 paying customers.
With a deep passion for using technology to drive Africa’s poverty alleviation efforts and create healthier communities, Umah is committed to making a lasting social impact.
An Electrical Engineering graduate, she is dedicated to advancing the SDGs, particularly in Nigeria, where she actively contributes to community projects and campaigns. Her efforts include lobbying the government to distribute food items to underserved populations.
Through her platform of over 10,000 community members, Umah continues to promote positive societal change. During the COVID-19 lockdown, she led a team of 10 in distributing raw food items to over 3,000 families facing hardship due to the pandemic.
