From Students to Job Creators: How AkoFresh is transforming Agriculture through Innovation

What began as an idea by young graduates determined to solve a challenge within Ghana’s agricultural sector has today grown into a business creating jobs, reducing food waste, and supporting farmers to earn more from their produce.

Meet AkoFresh — a youth-led agribusiness using innovative drying technology to transform fresh produce into nutritious, long-lasting products while helping tackle post-harvest losses in Ghana.

Like many young people entering the job market, the co-founders of AkoFresh were searching for opportunities to build meaningful careers and create impact. They decided to choose the entrepreneurial pathway. Their entrepreneurial journey led them to identify a major problem affecting smallholder farmers — large quantities of fresh produce going to waste due to limited preservation and storage options.

AkoFresh joined the Kosmos Innovation Center AgriTech Challenge Pro 2023 where they progressed to the finals. Today, their business is providing postharvest solutions for farmers. By preserving fruits and vegetables through innovative food drying processes, the company is extending shelf life, maintaining nutritional value, and creating market opportunities for agricultural produce that would otherwise be lost after harvest. Their work is contributing to a more sustainable and resilient agricultural value chain while supporting food security and reducing waste. AkoFresh also built solar powered refrigerated tricycles to help farmers transport produce from farm to market under environmentally controlled temperatures.

Beyond the products, the real impact lies in the transformation of lives. From being students and graduates with ideas and ambition, the founders have grown into entrepreneurs and job creators. Matthias Charles Yabe is co-founder of AkoFresh. He highlights the impact of the training from KIC: “Through the AgriTech Challenge Pro programme, our team received mentorship, business development support, entrepreneurial training, and access to networks to strengthen and scale our business for greater impact.”

To date, AkoFresh has impacted over 10,000 lives, directly served over 4,000 farmers and helped beneficiary farmers increase their income by 40%. Their journey reflects the power of youth entrepreneurship in driving innovation and solving real community challenges.

KIC’s AgriTech Challenge Pro program forms part of the Initiative for Youth in Agricultural Transformation (IYAT), an initiative of Mastercard Foundation in partnership with Kosmos Innovation Center. Through this initiative, KIC continues to empower young people with opportunities to move from unemployment into job through entrepreneurship, innovation, and dignified work within agriculture and adjacent sectors.

AkoFresh’s story is a reminder that when young people are given the right support and mentorship, they do more than build businesses — they transform industries, create opportunities for others, and contribute solutions that strengthen communities and economies.

From classrooms to creating impact in Ghana’s agricultural sector, AkoFresh is demonstrating what the future of youth-led agribusiness innovation can look like.