How can Africa’s farmers achieve economic prosperity? | Uka Eje | TEDxMambillaSt
In a world where raw materials abound, why do those who refine, process, and add value enjoy significantly greater prosperity than those who merely supply them?Uka explores the massive economic dichotomy that exists between primary producers--like farmers--and off-takers who capitalize on their raw materials, highlighting the power of value addition. From real-world examples in agriculture, oil, and global trade, Uka discusses the importance of moving up the value chain, negotiating for more, and leveraging innovation to scale. Uka Eje is the Co-Founder & CEO of ThriveAgric Limited, a leading agricultural technology company based in Nigeria, passionate about ensuring food security.
He co-founded ThriveAgric in 2017 with a vision to build an Africa that feeds herself and the world, by linking smallholder farmers to finance, data-driven best practices, and access to local & global markets
for their commodities.ThriveAgric is currently present in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and Uganda and Under Uka’s leadership, ThriveAgric has worked with local and international financial institutions to provide financing for over one million farmers in over 3000+ communities in Nigeria and across Africa.
Uka is an alumnus of YCombinator, Alibaba Business School, Google Launchpad Accelerator, and the University of Leeds’ Future of Food Programme.He is the recipient of several recognition awards including the 2024 TIME Climate Leaders Award, the 2018 Top 5 CEOs in the African Business
CEO Summit, amongst others. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
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