KIC 2026 AgriTech Challenge Pro Begins with Orientation and Onboarding

Kosmos Innovation Center (KIC) officially commenced the 2026 AgriTech Challenge Pro program with an orientation and onboarding workshop for more than 70 participants at the KIC Center of Excellence in Kumasi.

The orientation marked the beginning of an exciting journey for aspiring agritech and food innovation entrepreneurs who will undergo intensive training, mentorship, and business development support to transform their innovative ideas into commercially viable enterprises.

The AgriTech Challenge Pro is KIC’s flagship accelerator program designed to support young entrepreneurs to launch and grow innovative solutions that address critical challenges within Ghana’s agricultural sector. Through the program, participants are equipped with the knowledge, tools, and networks needed to build sustainable businesses while contributing to agricultural transformation and economic growth.

By promoting technology and innovation, the program seeks to enhance agricultural productivity, improve yields, strengthen value chains, and create employment opportunities for young people across the country.

During the orientation session, participants were introduced to KIC’s mission, vision, and strategic focus areas, providing them with a deeper understanding of the organization’s commitment to empowering youth through entrepreneurship and innovation in agriculture.

The onboarding provided an overview of the AgriTech Challenge Pro curriculum and expectations. Participants received presentations on key topics including team building, safeguarding, information and data systems, investor readiness, and the various training methodologies that will guide their learning experience throughout the program.

Speaking to the participants at the orientation, Benjamin Gyan- Kesse, Executive Director for KIC, highlighted the importance of resilience and an entrepreneurial mindset for the co-founders to ensure that the training program provides the needed value to bring growth and scale to their businesses.

As part of the hands-on approach to the training, participants from the AgriTech Pro will receive technical assistance from the KIC Center of Excellence for their product development and food innovation. The KIC Center of Excellence Kumasi is a specialized facility providing advanced technical infrastructure, engineering support, and commercialization services for startups, MSMEs, and corporate partners. The Center is a comprehensive maker space comprising six specialised maker centers designed to facilitate the development of technologies and innovations, enabling the transformation of ideas into tangible, market-ready solutions. Services offered include advanced technical infrastructure access; engineering and prototyping support; commercialization advisory services; innovation testing and refinement as well as Market readiness assessment.

The AgriTech Challenge Pro forms part of the Initiative for Youth in Agricultural Transformation (IYAT), an initiative of Mastercard Foundation in partnership with Kosmos Innovation Center to train and equip the next generation of young leaders and entrepreneurs in Ghana’s agriculture sector to drive solutions that unlock growth barriers in key agriculture value chains and create work opportunities for young Ghanaian women and men. The partnership pushes for system level changes that position Ghana as a continental demonstration of agriculture innovations suited to the African context. Since its inception, the IYAT program has put more than 64, 165 youth into direct and indirect jobs.

As the 2026 AgriTech Challenge Pro progresses, KIC remains committed to nurturing the next generation of agritech innovators who will develop impactful solutions to drive agricultural productivity, food security, job creation, and sustainable economic development in Ghana.