People & Lifestyle
Okuafo Foundation expands capacity with $600k Zayed Sustainability Prize win #FindThePioneer
In January 2020, Ghanaian agritech startup Okuafo Foundation was awarded $600 000 after it won the Food category in the Zayed Sustainability Prize 2020.
Mustapha Diyaol Haqq is the Co-Founder of Okuafo Foundation. The Ghana-based agritech startup has developed a smartphone application that utilizes artificial intelligence , machine learning and data analytics to predict and detect crop diseases and infestations and offers recommended solutions, based on scientific knowledge, in real-time. The application was designed to be used by rural farmers in Ghana, and operates without an Internet connection.
The application has allowed farmers to reduce their expenses related to purchasing crop pesticides, and increase their crop productivity and harvest by up to 50 per cent, thereby increasing their profits and disposable income.
According to Mr Haqq, the $600,000 reward from Zayed Sustainability Prize is enabling Okuafo Foundation to expand its capacity.
The world’s sustainability pioneers are working on the frontlines to address the global pandemic and tackle the world’s biggest challenges across the areas of Health, Food, Energy and Water.
The Zayed Sustainability Prize is searching for pioneers who are playing a dynamic role in transforming communities and impacting lives through inspiring, innovative solutions.
Rooted in the belief that sustainability is a shared responsibility, #FindThePioneer invites you, the public, to take part in the Zayed Sustainability Prize by nominating potential candidates and encouraging them to apply. Visit www.
Nominees for the Health, Food, Energy and Water categories must be small-to-medium sized enterprises or non-profit organisations that have an existing sustainability solution with demonstrable impact. Nominees for the Global High School category must be high schools with a student-led project proposal in any of the four sustainability areas. Make your nomination by June 11th, 2020.
Inspired by the first president of the UAE, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the annual $3-million prize is the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) leading sustainability award for recognising innovative solutions that are making an impact.
