From Geology to Agritech: How Chinwendu Nweke is Reducing Food Waste, Empowering 10,000 Smallholder Farmers

Across Nigeria, up to 40 per cent of harvested food never reaches the market. Tomatoes rot in crates, yams spoil in storage, and cassava perishes before buyers are found. The problem is not production, but the broken link between farmers and consumers.

Chinwendu Augustina Nweke is working to fix that gap. A University of Port Harcourt-trained geologist and Founder of Bridge Merchant Enterprise, she is using technology to solve one of agriculture’s oldest problems: logistics.

Nweke is part of the sixth cohort of the Standard Chartered Women in Tech Nigeria Accelerator and won a $10,000 grant to expand her agritech platform connecting farmers to markets.

Bridge Merchant Enterprise connects smallholder farmers to reliable buyers, negotiates fair prices, and simplifies logistics to reduce post-harvest losses. The platform also gives farmers access to quality inputs, real-time market information, and guaranteed sales.

“The problem was not a lack of produce,” Nweke says. “It was a broken bridge between the farmer with the yam and the consumer in the city.”

Since inception, Nweke has supported over 10,000 farmers and helped create more than 1,300 jobs, with a strong focus on women and young people.

Her selection for the sixth cycle of the Standard Chartered’s Women in Tech Nigeria Accelerator delivered in partnership with Village Capital and Enterprise Development Centre underscores the growing impact of her work.