Kenyan company Markit Opportunity has been announced as the winner of the Barclays Africa Supply Chain Challenge. Markit also won $10,000 (Ksh. 1 million). Freshmart App for Provenance from South Africa was named as a runner up.
Markit Opportunity is based in Nairobi and offers a mobile platform that connects traders in urban markets to smallholder farmers within the East African Community. They have three key products:
- An SMS- and voice-based service that provides anyone with current market prices, both for the farm-gate and wholesale.
- An auction platform that allows farmers and traders to be matched based on crop, quantity, price and location.
- Logistics and transportation services for suppliers who have been matched with farmers on our platform.
Barclays launched the Supply Chain Challenge in July and entries closed on 18th September 2015. 5 companies were shortlisted and 4 of them were Kenyan. They were:
1. Freshmart App for Provenance (SA)
Freshmart is an online platform that directly connects rural farmers to food produce retailers and consumers. The Freshmart App for Provenance is an accompanying application that, through information recorded using blockchain, enables customers to research or review the conditions in which the produce they want to purchase was grown, sourced, handled, packaged and transported.
2. Catch Counterfeits (Kenya)
The Catch Counterfeits solution uses RFID and blockchain technology to ensure a seamless and transparent flow of pharmaceutical products from production to the customer, blocking all potential loopholes and negating the potential for resale or the introduction of faux medicines.
3. Farm Inputs Authentication (Kenya)
Farm Inputs Authentication uses smart contracts to track the distribution of fertiliser and seeds from source to farmer with added authentication upon receipt. When fertiliser is introduced at factory level, it is assigned a unique identifier, which is published on the blockchain ledger. Whenever it changes hands or shape, this identifier is updated via a mobile application that validates and tracks the journey (even broadcasting the current contract and GPS coordinates to the networked users).
4. Markit Opportunity (Kenya)
5. Solutech Distribution Application (Kenya)
Solutech Distribution App is a mobile and web-based application that enables manufacturers to track their products from the warehouse to the shop front, replacing manual processes and helping achieve visibility in the distribution process for manufacturing companies.