Meet of 12-year-old girls who created an ‘AgriConnect’ app to help solve food shortages in Nigeria

• The group, often called the ‘Smarties’, announced that their app will link farmers, landowners, and investors.

A group of young girls, all award winners, has made waves online by developing an app to help fight food insecurity in Nigeria.

The 12-year-olds, Goodness Nwonanne-Chima and Tiffany Tejiri Oghenemaro, teamed up with 11-year-olds Excel Kiisibari Barile-Nwika and Salome Obehiremen Akhabhau to create the app called ‘AgriConnect.’

The group, often called the ‘Smarties’, announced that their app will link farmers, landowners, and investors. This will help them work together to tackle food shortages and boost local food production in Nigeria.

The girls believe their project aligns with the United Nations’ Goal 2, which seeks to eliminate hunger and enhance food security and nutrition by 2030.

With the AgriConnect app, people who own land but don’t know how to farm can meet farmers who have the skills but need land and funding. It also helps them find investors interested in funding farming projects.

One of the bright students, Salome explained “The investor brings the money to fund the farm, the farmer brings the skills and knowledge, and the landowner provides the land. At the end of the day, they all benefit from the farm according to the profit-sharing agreement they make.”

These young girls won the Beginner Division finalist team in the 2024 Technovation Girls competition because of their creative project. This competition inspires girls to pursue STEM education and challenges them to use technology to tackle environmental issues, offering special awards in areas like education, agriculture, and climate change.

While girls from China and Poland were honored for climate change and education, Nigerian pre-teens took home the Combat Hunger Award for agriculture. This win places them among 15 global winners, providing them with training in California, USA, where they will compete against other teams later this year.

Watch the video below:

The video caused a big stir on the internet, as people shared their views in the comment section.

See some reactions below:

@olajumoke_omotayo_351 said, “Things I love to see ❤️❤️”.

@rosamender said, “Proud of you girls…. 👏👏👏👏👏👏”.

@iamrubybae said, “Very Demure Teenager,Very Mindful .. Congratulations 😍😍😍😍”.

@.omolabake said, “Beautiful and intelligent girls 😍❤🔥 Thanks for making us proud, greater wins for you girls ❤❤💯”.

@kodedgeene said, “Fight food wetin?🌚😂😂my prayers are with them jare.🤝”.