Odwour Midigo, winner of the 2026 Äänit Prize presented by The Mandela Rhodes Foundation.
By Murimi Gitari, September 25, 2026, Odwour Midigo, a young entrepreneur from Kenya, has won the Mandela Rhodes Foundation’s 2026 Äänit Prize. He receives ninety six thousand US dollars to expand the work of the youth led Ndaloh Heritage Organisation, which uses a community driven approach to regenerative agriculture and food security to reach more farmers and communities.
Midigo’s organisation is tackling malnutrition in western Kenya through school nutrition programmes, fortified food and maternal and child health initiatives. The work focuses on reducing hunger and improving nutrition during the first thousand days of a child’s life, a period widely regarded as critical to long term health and development.
Ndaloh Heritage Organisation also supports smallholder farmers, particularly women and young people, through training, digital advisory services and improved access to markets. Its farming practices are designed to be regenerative and climate smart, aiming to raise productivity and household incomes while restoring soil health.
Midigo described the win as both encouraging and humbling. “Winning the Äänit Prize is both inspiring and humbling. I know how competitive the Prize has become, which makes this recognition especially meaningful. This award is not only a celebration of what we have achieved so far but also an opportunity to deepen our impact,” said Midigo, quoted in a statement from the Mandela Rhodes Foundation.
Now in its sixth year, the Äänit Prize is open to Mandela Rhodes and Rhodes Scholars across Africa. It offers up to one hundred thousand US dollars in funding and recognises entrepreneurial African leaders who are turning local insight into practical solutions with the potential for impact beyond their own borders. To qualify, ventures must align with one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for Africa and show a clear commitment to addressing the continent’s pressing social, economic and environmental challenges.
This year’s four finalists, David Chapoloko, Nyasha Mashanda, Odwour Midigo and Emmanuel Valentine, are all Mandela Rhodes alumni. Three of them are working on food security, building resilient food systems through regenerative agriculture in Kenya, unlocking underused farmland in Nigeria and helping Zambian farmers improve productivity, cut post harvest losses and reach markets. The fourth finalist is expanding access to education through AI powered personalised learning, reaching students who might otherwise be excluded by distance or poor internet connectivity.
Judy Sikuza, chief executive officer of the Mandela Rhodes Foundation, explained the meaning behind the prize’s name. “Äänit means common work or joint effort in Koalib, a minority language spoken in Sudan. It captures something fundamental about how we see Africa’s future. The challenges we face on the continent require collectively made solutions by Africans, for Africans,” said Sikuza.
She added that the finalists reflect a broader philosophy about African led problem solving. “These young leaders are not waiting for someone else to solve Africa’s problems. They are using their skills, personal experience and understanding of their communities to build solutions themselves. What is particularly exciting is the potential for these ideas to be adapted, shared and scaled in other parts of the continent,” Sikuza said.
Sikuza also spoke about leadership and opportunity, noting that innovation often begins with simple questions about improving harvests, strengthening food security or ensuring children are not denied education because of poor internet access. “Leadership is about seeing a need and having the courage to act. The Aanit Prize gives us an opportunity to support that action and, importantly, to ask what becomes possible when a good idea is given the resources, networks and support to grow,” she said.
The four finalists went through a rigorous shortlisting process involving interviews and presentations. An independent panel of judges assessed the ventures against criteria including innovation, leadership, social impact, sustainability, scalability and potential for replication.
For Midigo, the prize is about more than recognition. The funding will help the Ndaloh Heritage Organisation reach more beneficiaries, build new partnerships and explore how its community driven model can be adapted and scaled elsewhere on the continent.
The three other finalists each received one thousand US dollars, with Emmanuel Valentine receiving an additional one thousand US dollars after being named winner of the Audience Choice award. Valentine, from Nigeria, runs FARM4US, a venture working to raise agricultural productivity and strengthen food security in rural communities at a time when more than twenty five million Nigerians face food shortages. Through demonstration farms, agricultural support and improved access to markets, the venture has so far reached eight hundred farmers, employed one hundred young people and regenerated two thousand four hundred hectares of farmland, with an ambition to reach one hundred thousand farmers over the next decade.
David Chapoloko, from Zambia, leads AgreeNect Technologies, which provides smallholder farmers with reliable information to help them increase productivity, reduce post harvest losses and access more profitable markets. Its digital services reach farmers through SMS and USSD in seven local languages, helping to overcome literacy and digital access barriers.
Nyasha Mashanda, from Zimbabwe, founded VhenekAI, an offline AI learning platform designed to bridge gaps caused by a shortage of teachers, educational resources and internet access. In a two year pilot, the platform reached one thousand students across ten schools, delivering personalised educational support to phones and laptops even without a SIM card, Wi Fi or reliable signal, with content adapted to each learner’s curriculum and verified by teachers. Named after the Shona word meaning to light up, VhenekAI reflects the idea of using technology to open doors for learners who might otherwise be left behind.
Sikuza closed with a reflection on shared purpose among young Africans from different backgrounds. “When young Africans from different countries come together, they discover how much they have in common and how much they can learn from their differences. The Africa we inherit matters. But the Africa we build together matters even more,” she said.
