Guema Batama, a young Togolese inventor, has won first place at the Abdoulaye Touré Agricultural Innovation Awards in Mali. His creation, a squash harvesting and shelling machine, was praised for its originality and usefulness.
The device greatly reduces the workload of women and farmers during harvest and post-harvest stages. It also increases productivity and profitability in squash farming. Batama received a cash prize of $10,000, equivalent to nearly 6 million CFA francs. His project was supported by the ECOWAS-backed West Africa Agricultural Productivity Program. The machine can process between 7 and 10 cubic meters of squash while maintaining seed quality. Officials say such innovations show the importance of linking research, policy, and private investment to reach farmers in the field.
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