Private sector involvement in NUS

Nakuru tubers - Kenya

Winnie Wambugu is the Director of Nakuru Tubers, a trailblazing social enterprise revolutionizing food security in Kenya. 

Nakuru Tubers specializes in producing sustainability-resilient, disease-free seed potatoes using cutting-edge tissue culture and hydroponic technologies. Through this innovation, the company directly addresses the needs of smallholder farmers, equipping them with the tools to increase productivity and improve livelihoods. 

Beyond seed production, Nakuru Tubers is deeply committed to empowering women and youth by offering hands-on training in sustainable agricultural practices.

With over three years of specialized experience in seed potato research, Ms. Winnie previously servedas an assistant lecturer at Egerton University’s Faculty of Agriculture. She holds an MSc in Horticulture and has enhanced her expertise through advanced studies in Plant Breeding and Seed Systems at Makerere University.

Her work increasingly focuses on neglected and underutilized species (NUS), particularly indigenous vegetables, to reduce postharvest losses and strengthen local food systems. Through applied research and enterprise design, she champions last-mile models that link scientific innovation to real-world adoption, with a strong emphasis on women and youth inclusion.

Nelia's foods - Ghana

Ms Cornelia Ganaa Kanyiri, Founder and Team Lead, Nelia’s Foods Limited.

Cornelia is a Public Health Nursing professional and agribusiness entrepreneur who founded and leads Nelia’s Foods Limited, a youth led food processing company in Ghana. The enterprise produces natural powdered spices from locally grown crops, with strong attention to food safety and product quality. She works directly with women smallholder farmers in Northern and Upper

West Ghana, strengthening incomes, climate smart practices and healthier diets. 

As a trainer and coach she has mentored more than 1,000 women and young people in agribusiness and entrepreneurship. Partnerships include the University of Ghana, the Postharvest Innovation Hub, USAID, GIZ, GTI and the Ministry of Food and Agriculture.

Nelia’s Foods Limited was supported by USAID’s Feed the Future through the Ghana Trade and Investment (GTI) Activity in a very practical, business-growth way:

1. 
   Equipment support: Nelia’s Foods received newly acquired equipment supported by Feed the Future/USAID via GTI. 
2. Capacity building / staff training: The company organized internal training for its team to use the new equipment, aimed at strengthening operational capacity and improving production efficiency. 
3. Scale and impact goals: the support is framed around helping the business scale, contribute to reducing post-harvest losses, and support job creation, especially for youth. 
4. Program context: GTI’s overall purpose is to spur enterprise-driven growth and improve the broader system in which firms operate (investment, trade, SME development).