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Judith Eyram Aketey of AgriMercab on Sunday won the 2023 Israeli Green Innovation Challenge (IGIC) held in Accra.

Judith won the competition with her startup AgriMercab which is an animal nutrition company that specializes in organic waste aggregation to maximize the technology of the black soldier fly to efficiently and affordably produce high-quality insect protein suitable for aquaculture, poultry, pigs and pet feed as well as organic fertilizer from the byproduct for vegetable and other crop farming.

Her startup also seeks to help farmers produce their own black soldier fly larvae on a small scale by offering affordable training, set-up infrastructure and logistics support.

She would be going on a fully paid trip to Israel to participate in industry-related meetings, excursions and conferences to learn best practices, network and seek potential investors to expand her existing business.

In second place was Erica Appiah of Wobil Technologies, who provides a solution with a Multi-Stage Rice Thresher designed to address the challenges faced by smallholder rice farmers during the post-harvest process.

John Arday Ardayfio of Husk Technologies took the 3rd place. His startup uses solar powered automatic mobile cocoa pod-breaking machine to separate cocoa beans from the husk and placenta thereby reducing labour by 85%, maximizing productivity by over 700% and eliminating farm hazards by 100%).

The IGIC seeks to honour individuals and organisations that come up with innovative solutions to promote environmental conservation and agriculture in Ghana.

The initiative was undertaken in collaboration with the Ghana Garden and Flower Movement, an initiative of Strategic Communications Africa Limited (Stratcomm Africa). The IGIC is a combination of the two greatest strengths of Israel: Agriculture and Innovation.

Shlomit Sufa, Israeli Ambassador to Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone, noted that Israel prides itself as a nation of innovation that helps to stimulate innovation wherever it finds itself.

Ms Esther Cobbah, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), of Stratcomm Africa expressed gratitude to all stakeholders who made the competition successful.

Marketing Manager for Stratcomm Africa, Sharon Anim was delighted at the growth of the movement over the years and the excitement this 11th edition came with.

Judith Eyram Aketey shared her excitement at winning the challenge and hoped to grow her startup and make an impact in the Agric space.