{"id":2000117039,"date":"2026-06-25T17:00:50","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T15:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/?p=2000117039"},"modified":"2026-06-26T08:32:49","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T06:32:49","slug":"ten-rwandan-agri-tech-projects-secure-nearly-rwf1-billion-for-expansion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/ten-rwandan-agri-tech-projects-secure-nearly-rwf1-billion-for-expansion\/","title":{"rendered":"Ten Rwandan agri-tech projects secure nearly Rwf1 billion for expansion"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The projects were funded under the Innovation Challenge Fund, an initiative implemented through the Commercialization and De-Risking for Agricultural Transformation (CDAT) program at the Rwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Launched in late 2025, the programme supports innovative agricultural solutions that leverage technology to address challenges across the farming value chain. To date, beneficiaries have received about Rwf438 million, representing 45 percent of the total funding allocated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Funding is tailored to the needs of each project, with grants ranging between Rwf60 million and Rwf130 million, disbursed in three phases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The selected innovations span several areas, including smart irrigation systems, digital marketplaces for agricultural products, farmer data management platforms, technology-enabled greenhouse farming, and other solutions designed to boost agricultural productivity and market access.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the beneficiaries is Extra Technologies, a company that has developed a digital platform to help cooperatives manage member information and streamline operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The platform enables agricultural cooperatives to digitize records and maintain comprehensive profiles of their members, replacing traditional paper-based systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the company’s founder and Chief Executive Officer, Frank Muhiza, the application records all information related to cooperative members and their activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe application stores all information related to a cooperative member and their activities. It enables members to apply for loans based on their production records, purchase insurance, and communicate directly with cooperative leaders,\u201d Muhiza said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The platform also serves a broader ecosystem of stakeholders. Financial institutions can use the data to assess farmers\u2019 creditworthiness, insurance providers can evaluate clients, while government agencies and development partners can access relevant information to support their programmes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Muhiza noted that the company has already introduced technology-driven weighing systems for tea farmers in Nyamasheke District.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor tea farmers in Nyamasheke that we work with, we provided digital weighing scales. When farmers bring their harvest, the produce is weighed and the information is automatically recorded without requiring anyone to enter it manually. The data is instantly uploaded to the application and cannot be altered,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The system automatically calculates payments due to farmers after deductions and allows farmers to monitor transactions through their mobile phones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By integrating production, financial and market data into a single platform, the technology eliminates the need for manual record-keeping and simplifies information sharing among stakeholders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The platform also supports market linkages by providing buyers with real-time information about available produce, enabling them to identify and source products directly through the system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, cooperative payments are processed digitally, allowing deductions for loan repayments and contributions to programmes such as Ejo Heza and community-based health insurance schemes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis technology brings together services that farmers often access separately, including financing, social security contributions and market access,\u201d Muhiza said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Extra Technologies generates revenue through subscription fees paid by cooperatives and other institutions that utilize the platform’s data and services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company says support received through the CDAT Innovation Challenge Fund has enabled it to expand its operations by approximately 70 percent<\/strong>, including reaching more cooperatives and acquiring additional equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Currently, Extra Technologies works with 210 cooperatives across 14 districts and employs 12 permanent staff members alongside 24 temporary workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
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Nyamasheke tea farmers embrace technology for tracking and managing harvest data<\/strong>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Agri-tech projects continue to receive support from CDAT<\/strong>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Frank Muhiza, founder and CEO of Extra Technologies, said the platform serves as a one-stop solution for services that users previously accessed separately.<\/strong>

<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Modern weighing scales used to record and manage farmers\u2019 production data<\/strong>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ten youth-led technology projects aimed at transforming agriculture and promoting commercial farming are set to receive nearly Rwf968 million in funding to scale up their operations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":2000117043,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[151,69],"byline":[170],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-2000117039","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","tag-editors-choice","tag-homehighlights","byline-igihe"],"bylines":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":8}],"contributors":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":8}],"featured_image":{"id":2000117043,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/06\/cc6da.jpg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":1000,"height":523,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/06\/cc6da.jpg","width":1000,"height":523},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/06\/cc6da.jpg","width":1000,"height":523},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/06\/cc6da.jpg","width":1000,"height":523},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/06\/cc6da.jpg","width":1000,"height":523},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/06\/cc6da.jpg","width":1000,"height":523}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000117039","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/131"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2000117039"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000117039\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2000117064,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000117039\/revisions\/2000117064"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000117043"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2000117039"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2000117039"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2000117039"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=2000117039"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=2000117039"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}