Nigeria’s Uber for tractor startup, Hello Tractor, has entered into a partnership with Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA). The partnership will see the startup’s services expand across Nigeria and Kenya, connecting many smallholder farmers to mechanisation services in the process.
This partnership comes after Hello Tractor was awarded a grant following a CTA call for proposals for ICT-enabled mechanisation in Africa.
Launched in 2014, the startup uses a mobile app to aggregates tractor service requests (e.g., ploughing) and then pairs them with recommended tractors and operators. This bridges the gap between traditional farming and more technologically advanced approaches.
Through its Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled digital solution, it also allows tractor owners to track how many hours their machinery is in the field and the areas serviced.
With its partnership with CTA, Hello Tractor would be able to expand its services across Nigeria and Kenya to connect 5,000 smallholder farmers to mechanized farming. This will also create jobs for youths that would work as tractor operators and booking agents.
“Through this collaboration, we will identify, train, and grow the number of youth serving as booking agents on serving farmers. This partnership will grow demand for tractor services through targeted digital initiatives aimed at better coordinating the market.”
Jehiel Oliver, Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Hello Tractor.
On his own part, CTA director Michael Hailu said, “we are delighted to partner with Hello Tractor in expanding its innovative digital platform to reach a large number of users that will contribute not only to modernising smallholder agriculture and increasing productivity but also to attracting young people to agribusiness in Africa.”
This partnership with CTA comes just after Hello Tractor’s partnership with IBM late last year. That collaboration enabled the startup provide demand and supply visibility for farmers, tractor fleet providers and banks. It achieved this through an agriculture digital wallet and decision-making tool that uses AI and Blockchain technology.
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