AgroCenta, Ghanaian Agritech Platform, Joins Visa Africa Fintech Accelerator Inaugural Cohort

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• Ghanaian agritech platform, AgroCenta, has been chosen among 23 African startups to join the inaugural cohort of the Visa Africa Fintech Accelerator.
• The Visa Africa Fintech Accelerator is a three-month training program offering funding, product perks, and partnership opportunities for startups.
• The chosen startups are from nine African countries: Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Kenya, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Uganda, and Zambia.
• AgroCenta operates as an online merchant platform connecting smallholder farmers with various stakeholders in the agricultural value chain.
• It facilitates connections with farmer-based organisations, logistics suppliers, buyers, and off-loaders, while also eliminating exploitative middlemen.

Ghanaian agritech platform, AgroCenta, has been selected as part of the 23 African startups to participate in the inaugural cohort of the Visa Africa Fintech Accelerator, courtesy of the global payments company. 

AgroCenta was founded by Francis Obirikorang and Michael K. Ocansey in 2015, and launched in 2016 as an online merchant platform that connects smallholder farmers and other stakeholders in the agricultural value chain. The startup connects farmers with farmer-based organisations such as logistics suppliers, buyers, and off-loaders, among others. The platform also eliminates middlemen who exploit farmers, allowing farmers to re-invest a percentage of their sales into acquiring farm inputs such as fertilisers, seedlings, pesticides, and herbicides. 

(Read also: Italian Plant-Based Cheese Startup Dreamfarm Secures €5 Million Funding for Expansion)

AgroCenta is backed by Techstars, a pre-seed investor that provides access to capital, mentorship, and other support for early-stage entrepreneurs.

Visa Africa Fintech Accelerator is a three-month training programme for startups, which provides entreprenuers with funding, product perks, and partnership opportunities. Other selected startups include Anchor, Orda Africa, Dojah, Moni, OZÉ, Duhqa, and Chari. 

The startups to participate in the first cohort were selected from nine countries in Africa: Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Kenya, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Uganda, and Zambia.