Baliqees Wins Prestigious West Africa Women Agripreneur Award

A Nigerian climate advocate and CEO of Green Republic Farms, Salaudeen-Ibrahim Baliqees, has been named the 2025 Women Agripreneurs of the Year Awards (WAYA) Regional Winner for West Africa.

The announcement was made recently at the Africa Food Systems Forum held in Dakar, Senegal, where she stood out from over 1,900 applicants representing 44 African countries.

The highly competitive awards recognise women who are transforming Africa’s agricultural sector through innovation, resilience and empowerment. Through her company, Baliqees is leading sustainable agribusiness in Nigeria by cultivating premium vegetables using controlled environment open-field, greenhouse, and soilless farming systems powered by renewable energy.

Her approach not only reduces post-harvest losses and cuts agricultural emissions by farming closer to urban markets but also generates employment opportunities for rural women and youth.

At the forum, AGRA and its partners praised the winners as pioneers of inclusive, climate-smart food systems across Africa. Their enterprises are making an impact by boosting community livelihoods, creating jobs, and addressing food insecurity challenges.

Baliqees’ award highlights her position among West Africa’s most promising young agripreneurs, showcasing how youth-led, climate-smart farming can revolutionise the continent’s food production.

In response, she stated: “This recognition is not just about me, but every young African farmer proving agriculture can be innovative, sustainable and inclusive. At Green Republic Farms, we are committed to building climate-smart solutions that empower women and youth while ensuring food security for our communities. Winning the WAYA Award inspires me to scale our impact and contribute more to Africa’s agricultural transformation.”

Other notable winners at the 2025 WAYA Awards included recipients honoured as Grand Prize Winner, Women Empowerment Champion, Resilient & Inspirational Leader, Outstanding Value-Adding Enterprise, Female Ag-Tech Innovator and Young Female Agripreneur (Rising Star).