Ensibuuko app wins agri-innovation challenge @ICT4Ag ‘13

NaijaAgroNet:

Ensibuuko agri-solution led the quadruplet of Messrs Richard Zulu, Gerald Otim, Daniel Opio and Ms Winnie Mbabazi emerged top winners at the just concluded Agri-Hackathon championship host as part of the Information and Communication Technology for Agriculture (ICT4Ag) international conference in Rwanda, the NaijaAgroNet reports.

NaijaAgroNet quoted The Observer as the Ugandan team of app developers outshined other contestants to go home with the 5,000 euros, about N1,056,467.00 prize money.

“The Ugandan farmers have won. We share a similar background with them and we know how they struggle to finance their activities,” declared Richard Zulu at Serena Hotel Kigali venue.

“For us the prize is a bonus after an extensive week of learning and sharing ideas with some of the best developers in the region,” Zulu said.

According to Zulu, the Ensibuuko app provides the ultimate solution to smallholder farmers. It comes with rich products which enhance the power of a mobile and web technologies to help small-holder rural farmers in Uganda acquire and pay loans to (non) microfinance institutions easily, quickly and in an accessible way. It uses an automated mobile money and SMS (Short Message Service).

“We are working in 35 districts in Uganda. Most smallholder farmers are unbanked and lack creditworthiness…that is why they need and have embraced this product,” noted Gerald Otim, the business development manager.

Isaac Oyimah with additional reports from The Observer/GEE.
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Pix: L-R: Rwanda minister for agriculture, Agnes Kalibata, Richard Zulu, Gerald Otim, Daniel Opio and Winnie Mbabazi