Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: African startups made their mark at the annual Viva Tech conference in Paris last week, At the conference, which marked its 10th anniversary, fintech, banking solutions and AI occupied a central place in the startup ecosystem. But beyond these major trends, some projects were focusing on very practical issues, such as reducing post-harvest losses in Africa — a key challenge for food security and agricultural development.
At a stand dedicated to agricultural logistics, on display was the service designed to address a simple problem: crops that are not transported quickly enough and can sometimes spoil before reaching their destination.
Ibrahima Soumaré, CEO and Founder of LivraiX, says, “A producer or exporter who wants to transport goods from Djekoué to San Pedro simply logs onto the platform. They indicate the quantity of cocoa they want delivered from Djekoué to San Pedro.
The request is then registered, and they automatically gain access to transport operators in the area who can handle and deliver the shipment. Transport is then adapted to the type of product. For cocoa, for example, a truck is used. If it is tomatoes, a vehicle specifically suited to transporting tomatoes is required.”
