Connecting the dots: How Jangolo is changing data visibility in African Agriculture
Jangolo is a technology-driven Agritech start-up based in Cameroon, founded by Bertrand Foffe, Paulin Nguekam, and Rodrigue Kwanga. Jangolo aims to solve one of the most significant problems in African agriculture, which is the lack of access to quality information for stakeholders across the value chain. With its inclusive ecosystem approach, Jangolo empowers existing actors in agribusinesses to increase productivity, reduce post-harvest losses, and create jobs and a purposeful vocation for young Africans.
Co-founder & CEO, Bertrand Foffe grew up in Douala, Cameroon, where he completed his primary and secondary education. After studying IT at the University of Douala, Foffe chose to move to the Netherlands to pursue additional IT qualifications, which ultimately led him to work as a digital transformation / IT consultant in Europe for over ten years. Despite finding success and work fulfillment in Europe, he could not ignore the contrasting standards between his home country and the Netherlands where he worked — “I felt there was a lot I could do to improve the standard of my home country, and my home continent, [and I saw Agriculture as] the best way for me to have the biggest impact using my expertise [in] technology”
Jangolo’s vision is centered around achieving food security in Africa, creating job opportunities, and empowering young Africans. The primary problem that Jangolo sets out to solve is the lack of access to quality information for actors in agribusiness value chains. Foffe describes his approach as follows: “To set a good strategy and make good decisions, you need information. To get good information, you need quality data. My point of view is that information is not accessible to the people who need it the most in agribusiness value chains.” As a result, Jangolo aims to connect the whole agricultural ecosystem in order to empower its actors, such as farmers, food processors, input suppliers, and researchers. This is done with the goal of increasing productivity, reducing post-harvest losses, and creating jobs.
Jangolo joined the Endeavor AgTech Scale-up program, to assist them with accelerating their expansion in Cameroon and inspiring solutions to overcome their specific growth challenges. “The program helped us to considerably improve three aspects of our business: The business model — focus on the most important revenue streams; The team — adjust our team to match the challenge; and finally, improve our value proposition and strengthen our [approach to partnerships]”, says Foffe. “We were lucky to benefit from the priceless expertise of [Endeavor mentors such as] Triya Govender.” Beyond the direct 1-on-1 engagements with Endeavor mentors, Foffe noted the impact of having a dedicated Endeavor portfolio manager to assist with getting the most out of the Endeavor network.
Beyond Jangolo, Foffe has a vision of inspiring and creating a purposeful vocation for young Africans, “I strongly believe that everyone is born to achieve something. I also believe that technology is probably the most efficient way to get Africa to food sufficiency. Getting there will require a lot of effort, [but will also] create a lot of opportunities… Young African entrepreneurs should stop caring about things they have no control over and focus on the things under their reach. Only action will make us develop Africa, and the best time to start creating value is yesterday. Don’t only dream about your projects, act upon it.”
Jangolo is a part of the African Agri-Tech Scale-Up Programme. Run by Endeavor South Africa, in partnership with FMO, this programme provides 10 of the most promising African Agri-Tech start-ups with the full support of the Endeavor network. The programme provides these entrepreneurs with the necessary tools to develop globally scalable solutions, such as access to global thought leaders, structured mentorship, and investor networking opportunities. Throughout the 12-months of this programme, Endeavor connects these growing companies with the right business leaders and industry experts within the Endeavor network. The goal of the programme is to help these high-impact companies scale and raise capital as they use tech-enabled solutions to address Agri-Food challenges across the continent.
