Kenyan and Nigerian researchers announced joint-winners of 2025 Africa Food Prize

________________

Kenyan Prof. Mary Abukutsa Onyango and Dr Mercy Diebiru‑Ojo of Nigeria have been announced as the joint-winners of the 2025 Africa Food Prize.

Worth $100,000, this annual award is the continent’s preeminent recognition of individuals or institutions that are reshaping Africa's food systems.

It was established in 2016 as a successor to the Yara Prize, and honours contributions that change farming from a struggle to survive into a thriving business, highlighting bold initiatives that can be replicated across Africa.

Prof Onyango is a horticultural scientist at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in Kenya, and has been researching and promoting African leafy vegetables. Her work advances healthier meals and reliable income for growers.

Dr Diebiru‑Ojo is the founder of GoSeed Ltd in Nigeria and was honoured for her visionary leadership and technical expertise in cassava and yam seed systems. Her seed systems give farmers a clean start each season and a fair shot at higher productivity.

Dr Wanjiru Kamau Rutenberg, a member of the Africa Food Prize Committee, said women-led enterprises are shifting how Africa grows, buys, and eats food.

She said Onyango's work "has shown the nutritional value of crops such as amaranth, spider plant and African nightshade, influencing national health policies and repositioning these crops as super foods".

In addition, the Kenyan researcher has gone ahead to register new varieties, publishing widely and championing agrobiodiversity, an initiative that has moved indigenous vegetables from the margins to the mainstream, which has combated malnutrition while providing farmers with resilient crops that improve food and nutrition security.

“My vision going forward is that every African household can access diverse, nutritious food grown from our own biodiversity,” Onyango said in her acceptance speech.

She dedicated the award to farmers, students, and scientists who have kept indigenous knowledge alive and adapted it to modern needs.

Co-winner Diebiru‑Ojo adapted and commercialised Semi-Autotrophic Hydroponic (SAH) technology to produce millions of disease-free, high-quality planting materials, a step that has doubled yields, strengthened value chains and empowered seed enterprises in Nigeria and other African countries.

Her work turns innovation into enterprise by giving farmers resilient and improved crops, contributing directly to economic transformation across the region.

Former Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete is the Chair of the Africa Food Prize Committee.

He explained that Onyango and Diebiru-Ojo embody the very best of African innovation, demonstrating that true transformation lies not only in the spotlight of major crops but also in elevating the seeds, systems, and knowledge that sustain our continent’s future.

Kikwete said the Africa Food Prize celebrates Africans who are taking control of the continent’s agriculture agenda and changing the reality of farming from subsistence to success.

“It is the only award dedicated solely to agriculture and food systems on the continent, putting a bright spotlight on initiatives that eliminate hunger and poverty and provide new sources of employment and income."

About the award

The Africa Food Prize recognises outstanding individuals or institutions that are leading the effort to change the reality of farming in Africa. 

The $100,000 prize celebrates Africans who are taking control of Africa’s agriculture agenda.

It puts a spotlight on bold initiatives and technical innovations that can be replicated across the continent to create a new era of food security and economic opportunity for all Africans.

Past winners include Dr Catherine Nakalembe, a Ugandan researcher, who was honoured for improving the lives of smallholder farmers by using satellite technology to harness data to guide agricultural decision-making.

Dr Emma Naluyima was recognised for transforming her 1-acre plot into a showcase of profitable and environmentally friendly agriculture. Other Ugandan winners include Eric Kaduru and Josephine Okot.