AWAN Afrika

What AWAN Afrika does

AWAN Afrika (African Women Agribusiness Network - Afrika) is a non-profit organization limited by guarantee, headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, and founded in 2018. It operates a continental network spanning 44 African countries, serving women-owned and youth-owned agribusinesses including producers, processors, aggregators, export companies, and input suppliers. The organization provides an E-Hub digital repository covering agricultural information along value chains (mechanization, soil testing, precision farming, agri-ecology, climate-smart technology), the #Value4Her Connect digital platform linking members with exporters, investors, and agri-tech companies, and the AWANunder30 youth initiative with an online incubation hub. A digital marketplace is under development to enable continental buyer-seller connectivity.

The organization pursues a network-membership go-to-market model with no publicly disclosed pricing. Its core strategic pillars are women economic and financial inclusion, market access (including AfCFTA opportunities), trade facilitation, and technology in agriculture. Services are delivered through a hybrid of digital platforms, B2B/B2C events, trade fairs, webinars (the #ROOTEDWebinar series), and high-profile convenings such as the German-African Agribusiness Forum and African Grain Trade Summit. AWAN Afrika is led by Executive Director Beatrice Gakuba and operates with a small team of 9 employees. Strategic partnerships with CTA, AWIEF, the African Union (AU-IBAR and AU Commission), the East African Grain Council, and the Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation provide institutional backing and policy advocacy channels. The organization claims to have impacted 500,000 women and youth with a stated target of 15 million.

Name

AWAN Afrika

Legal name

African Women Agribusiness Network (AWAN) - Afrika

Website

https://awanafrika.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

AWAN Afrika is a non-profit network organization providing African women and youth-owned agribusinesses across 44 countries with digital platforms, market access, trade facilitation, and policy advocacy to support participation in continental and global agricultural value chains.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Network Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518), Oilseed and Grain Farming (1111)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPADAMAE

SME & Entrepreneurship Development (Trade-Linked)

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/International Trade & Economic Development

SECONDARYCRAFAHAL

Agriculture Inputs & Farm Supply Marketplaces

Consumer Products & Retail/E-commerce & Marketplaces/Wholesale/B2B E-commerce Marketplaces

SECONDARYBPADANAH

Digital Policy, Data Governance & Cybersecurity Standards Cooperation

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/International Standards, Policy & Regulatory Cooperation

Keywords

• Agribusiness network services
• Women agribusiness support
• Market access facilitation
• Trade facilitation training
• Agricultural capacity building

Headquarters

HQ city

Nairobi

HQ country

Kenya

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Network Membership Services: AWAN Afrika operates as a non-profit organization limited by guarantee, providing a platform for African women and youth in agribusiness to access markets, trade information, and finance. Revenue generation model is not explicitly disclosed.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

AWAN Afrika is a non-profit network organization that provides a platform for African women and youth in agribusiness to access markets, trade information, and finance. It offers an E-Hub digital repository containing agricultural value chain information (mechanization, soil testing, precision farming, climate-smart technology), the #Value4Her Connect digital platform linking members with exporters and investors, B2B/B2C trade fairs, capacity-building training, and policy advocacy support to over 2,500 registered businesses across 44 African countries.

Product overview

AWAN Afrika is a non-profit organization that provides a platform for African women and youth in agribusiness to access markets, trade information, and finance. The core offerings include the E-Hub information repository covering agricultural value chains and supply chains, the #Value4Her Connect digital platform linking members with exporters, investors, and value chain actors, the online market forums for buyer-seller connections, and the AWAN Afrika Under 30 youth initiative for incubation and mentorship. A digital marketplace is currently under development to expand continental market access.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AWAN Under 30: Youth champions program for young people of either gender engaged in agribusiness, launched in November 2018
• #Value4Her Connect
• E-Hub

Products and services

• E-Hub A digital repository providing information on agriculture along value chains and supply chains for women and youth-owned agribusinesses, covering topics such as mechanization, soil testing, precision farming, agri-ecology, and climate-smart technology. Targeted at African women and youth engaged in agribusiness.
• #Value4Her Connect An intelligent digital platform that links women's agribusinesses with exporters, investors, agri-tech companies, and other value chain actors to facilitate inclusive participation in continental and global markets. Targeted at women-owned agribusinesses across Africa.
• AWAN Afrika Under 30 (AWANunder30) A youth initiative and online incubation hub for networking and mentorship, supporting young people of either gender engaged in agribusiness across Africa. Provides capacity building and entrepreneurial support for youth in agriculture.
• Online Market Forums Digital forums connecting regional buyers and sellers to AWAN Afrika members, enabling market access and trade facilitation across local and regional markets. Targeted at women-owned and youth-owned agribusinesses seeking market access.

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2018#Value4Her project launched in July 2018 in Nairobi, Kenya. CTA's continental programme aimed at increasing value for women from agricultural businesses through market access and business linkages; improved knowledge, skills and capacities; and digitally-enabled socio and business networking. AWAN-Afrika is a key implementing partner along with AWIEF.
• African Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-partner with CTA in the #Value4Her project, working together to strengthen women's agribusiness enterprises and promote global advocacy to address barriers to women's empowerment in agriculture.
• African Union - AU-IBARflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerDirector Prof. Ahmed El-Sawalhy expressed partnership pleasure with AWAN-Afrika. AWAN-Afrika participates in high-level panel discussions on 'Women in Agriculture: Mechanization, Land Rights and the Value Chains' at AU events.
• African Union CommissionflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommissioner H.E. Josefa Sacko stated the AU Commission mandate includes engaging with the private sector, with AWAN-Afrika identified as a key partner for this engagement.
• East African Grain CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganizers of the African Grain Trade Summit where AWAN-Afrika participates as a key stakeholder calling for removal of trade barriers in the food staple value chain.
• 6th German-African Agribusiness ForumcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerHigh-profile forum where AWAN-Afrika participates, showcasing continental network and advocating for women and youth in African agribusiness.
• Global Alliance for Trade FacilitationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAWAN-Afrika collaborates with the Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation on trade-related initiatives and programs.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Farm Africa: Farm Africa primarily operates in Eastern Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Uganda, DRC) on inclusive agriculture, market access, and gender-focused programming. AWAN's East African concentration makes Farm Africa a comparable regional peer in mission and approach, though Farm Africa is a larger UK-headquartered NGO.
• East African Grain Council (EAGC): EAGC is a sector-specific trade association for grain value chains in East Africa, with whom AWAN partners on the African Grain Trade Summit. Both focus on reducing trade barriers and connecting smallholder/aggregator grain traders to regional markets under AfCFTA.

Direct peers

• African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD): AWARD focuses on women scientists and researchers in African agriculture, while AWAN focuses on women agribusiness owners. Both operate as continental, mission-driven, gender-focused organizations in the African agriculture ecosystem with similar donor and policy networks.
• African Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF): AWIEF is a co-implementing partner with AWAN Afrika on the CTA #Value4Her project and pursues the same continental mission of empowering African women entrepreneurs, including those in agribusiness. Both organizations run capacity-building, networking, and advocacy programs for women founders across Africa.
• African Agribusiness Incubators Network (AAIN): AAIN is a continental network focused on youth-led agribusiness incubation and SME growth across Africa. AWAN's AWANunder30 initiative and #Value4Her Connect overlap directly with AAIN's incubation and capacity-building work for African agribusiness SMEs.

Broad incumbents

• Solidaridad Network: Solidaridad is an international civil society organization running inclusive supply chain and agribusiness programs across Africa, often engaging women and youth producers. The organizational model — multi-country programs, donor-funded, market access focused — is closely comparable to AWAN's.
• Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA): AGRA is a large, established African agriculture institution working on inclusive agricultural transformation, value chain development, and SME support. AWAN is a smaller, more focused player in the same continental agribusiness ecosystem, often partnering with or alongside AGRA's programs.
• TechnoServe: TechnoServe operates large-scale value chain and market access programs for African SMEs and smallholder farmers, including women-led agribusinesses. Both organizations train entrepreneurs, link producers to markets, and partner with AfCFTA-aligned initiatives.
• Heifer International: Heifer International is a global non-profit supporting smallholder farmers, including women, across Africa with training, finance linkage, and market access. Both organizations share a focus on women smallholders and producer-to-market value chains, though Heifer operates at much larger scale.

Emerging players

• Value4Her (ITC): ITC's Value4Her program is a digital platform connecting women-owned agribusinesses across Africa to markets, finance, and capacity building — a very close thematic match to AWAN's #Value4Her Connect. Both are positioning to become the leading continental platform for women-led agribusinesses.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Awan_Afrika
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCc1n5Y45T96nCEw4b5kz0gw
• Facebookfacebook.com/awanafrikacontinental
• Instagraminstagram.com/awanafrikacontinental
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/awanafrika

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about AWAN Afrika