Several young Senegalese entrepreneurs are gradually transforming agriculture through AgriTech technologies. Their innovations cover livestock farming, crop management, irrigation and productivity improvement, thus opening up new perspectives for the agricultural sector.

Among them, according to Le Soleil, is Oumar Basse, co-founder of Nano Air, who developed "Widim Pompe," a remote-controlled irrigation system operated via smartphone. Already in use in Senegal, this tool allows farmers to save time while monitoring their water and electricity consumption.

Another major initiative is "Jokalante," created by Ndèye Amy Kébé. This platform disseminates technical, health, and climate information in several local languages. Thanks to an interactive voice response system, it reaches farmers and livestock breeders even in areas without internet access. This project received an "Impact" award in 2025.

For his part, Pape Amadou Kane Diop created "Mafalia," a startup that supports agri-food SMEs in their digitalization using artificial intelligence. His project won first prize at the Challenge+ Dakar 2025.

“Limited impact”

In an interview with the national daily newspaper, Dr. Papa Ngor Sadio, a lecturer and researcher at the University of Sine-Saloum El Hadj Ibrahima Niass (USSEIN), analyzes this dynamic. According to him, this renewed interest in AgriTech is primarily structural: “This phenomenon can be explained by the youth of the population and the severity of unemployment. Young people now see agricultural entrepreneurship as a concrete way to create their own jobs, supported by public policies that promote value chains.”

Obstacles remain

The expert, however, offers a more nuanced perspective: despite the proliferation of innovations (AI, connected tools, drones), he observes a gap between the technological offering and the reality on the ground: "These initiatives have a limited impact for the moment. Even if modernization concerns the entire chain, from production to storage, these solutions remain relatively uncommon and face difficulties accessing the market, particularly due to competition."

For the newspaper's interviewee, technology is no longer optional. Faced with climate change and the scarcity of rural labor, innovations are becoming essential to boost productivity and guarantee food security.

While he welcomes the existing support mechanisms – DER/FJ, FONGIP, FONSIS – the professor-researcher believes that much remains to be done. According to him, the government must facilitate access to land, heavy equipment, and large-scale funding to enable these startups to scale up to industrial production.