Africa’s food industry is experiencing a major transformation. With a growing population and increasing demand for processed foods, ensuring the safety and quality of food products is crucial for public health and economic growth. Yet post-harvest loss remains a critical challenge across the continent, resulting in food waste, economic losses, and decreased food security.
Safety concerns pose a significant risk to public health, with substandard food products often finding their way into the market. Small-scale food processors, who are the backbone of Africa’s food industry, often lack the resources and expertise to adopt modern food safety standards, further exacerbating the problem. This is where FoodFit steps in.
FoodFit is a digital platform that empowers small-scale food processors to adopt stringent food quality standards, reduce post-harvest losses, and increase their incomes. They do this through training on food safety standards, certification support, and market linkages. FoodFit helps processors produce safe, traceable, and high-quality foods.
The platform focuses on three core goals:
- Improving food safety: Ensuring products meet international quality standards.
- Reducing post-harvest loss: Helping processors monitor and manage their supply chains more effectively.
- Increasing incomes: Connecting processors to new markets where they can earn premium prices.
FoodFit’s impact extends beyond food quality. By supporting small-scale food processors, the platform contributes to:
- Increased intra-African trade
- Job creation for young people across the food value chain
FoodFit has partnered with agribusinesses such as AMTOZ Foods, Morlabee Foods, and Menu Foods. The platform connects them with food scientists who help them establish food safety standards, making it easier to comply with statutory regulations and positioning them as early adopters of the FoodFit brand. FoodFit also helps these businesses build an online presence to better engage customers.
FoodFit was selected to join Africa Impact Academy’s first cohort because of their innovative solution and the impact they are creating in creating employment opportunities for the youth, ensuring food quality standards are maintained, reducing post-harvest losses and improving market access. Under the programme, they have received practical support to strengthen both their technology and operations. They access capacity-building across five core areas: business strategy, marketing strategy, finance, ICT, and governance. These sessions help them operate more efficiently, understand regulatory pathways, and think more clearly about how to scale.
FoodFit also benefits from peer networking and exposure to impact investors at our physical events. These spaces allow them to learn from other entrepreneurs, meet potential partners, and gather feedback that shapes their next steps.
Key Challenge Limiting FoodFit’s Growth
The main challenge affecting FoodFit’s growth is limited access to funding, which has impacted both core operations and efforts to build awareness around its work. This challenge has been seen in the following areas:
Limited awareness and visibility – Many micro and small-scale food processors are difficult to reach with practical food hygiene and safety information. Limited outreach channels and a weak digital presence make it harder for FoodFit to share its work widely and engage these processors effectively.
Operational constraints – Funding gaps have affected FoodFit’s ability to hire food scientists, purchase testing kits, and set up testing centres. In some cases, it has also limited the ability to support or collaborate with existing centres to improve their efficiency and impact.
Slow collaboration with key partners and regulators – Limited resources have slowed engagement with organizations such as Nigeria Stored Products Research Institute, Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine Services, Nigeria National Accreditation System, Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, and organizations like Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition. This limits access to existing networks of small-scale processors and reduces opportunities to gather real-life use cases needed to test and adapt the model for other markets such as Kenya and Zambia.
What Deeper Support Could Unlock
With strategic backing from funders, technical experts, and ecosystem partners, FoodFit is positioned to deepen its impact in Africa. This support would enable them to:
- Onboard more small-scale processors
- Improve their digital tools
- Roll out simple traceability systems
- Support processors to enter new markets
This type of growth results in safer food, reduced losses, higher incomes for small processors, and more youth employment across the value chain.
FoodFit is being developed by a team of AgFoodTech specialists with more than 20 years of combined experience in agrifood systems and public health:
- Anthony Simukonde (Zambia), AgFoodTech specialist
- Lweendo Hachamba, Food Microbiologist
- Deborah Ibukun Omoyeni, Crop improvement specialist and data analyst
- Abdulrahman Adeshina Salaudeen, AgFoodTech business development specialist and IITA Youth in Agribusiness alumnus
Their vision is to build a trusted brand for safe and high-quality food, strengthen Africa’s food systems, and promote regional trade. As the platform continues to expand, it is well-positioned to make a significant impact on Africa’s food systems and the people who depend on them.