Shaima Hussein (L) during the launch of the hub
The Deputy Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ghana, Shaima Hussein, has pinpointed agriculture as a necessary step to development in Africa.
According to her, agriculture currently employs half of the continent and is responsible for the livelihoods of millions.
"Agriculture remains at the heart of Africa’s development story. It employs more than half of the continent’s workforce and sustains millions of livelihoods," she said.
She, however, acknowledged the persistent challenges facing farmers and agribusinesses, including climate vulnerability and limited access to funding.
"Yet farmers and agribusinesses across the continent continue to face significant challenges — from climate vulnerability and inefficient supply chains to limited access to finance and markets," she said.
She said this at the launch of the Timbuktoo AgriTech Hub in Accra, an initiative set up to harness technology to transform agriculture across the African continent.
The launch took place during the Timbuktoo Bootcamp for Accelerator Managers, an event that drew incubator managers and ecosystem leaders from 37 countries across Africa and beyond.
The ceremony was attended by Ghana's Minister of Communications, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel George, and Japan's Ambassador to Ghana, His Excellency Hiroshi Yoshimoto.
Speaking at the event, Shaima Hussein described the hub as a pan-African centre dedicated to advancing innovation in agriculture and food systems.
"At the same time, we are witnessing an exciting rise in technology-driven solutions developed by African entrepreneurs that have the potential to transform agricultural productivity, strengthen food systems, and build climate-resilient agriculture.
"It is in this context that we are particularly proud tonight to mark the launch of the Timbuktoo AgriTech Hub hosted here in Ghana," she added.
The hub is part of Timbuktoo, UNDP's flagship pan-African initiative that aims to mobilise one billion dollars in catalytic and commercial capital, support 10,000 startups, scale 1,000 high-growth enterprises, and ultimately improve the livelihoods of 100 million people across the continent.
Through the AgriTech Hub, promising startups from across Africa will access structured incubation programmes, mentorship, and connections to investors and ecosystem partners.
The hub will also anchor the Pan-African Incubation Programme for AgriTech Startups, which will identify and support ventures working on solutions spanning climate-smart agriculture, agricultural data platforms, supply-chain innovations, and market-access technologies.
Participating startups will become part of the Pan-African Incubation Network — a distributed ecosystem of incubators, innovation hubs, mentors, and investors collaborating to support entrepreneurs across the continent.
The Government of Ghana, through the Ministry of Communications, Digital Technology and Innovation, was commended for hosting the hub, while the people of Japan received appreciation for their support of the incubator managers bootcamp and startup funding.
ID/BAI
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