Ede: Youth-led Businesses Will Define the Next Phase of Global Economic Growth

Last November, Founder of agribusiness start-up, Scratop, Ruth Ede, was one of the first place winners at the YouthADAPT Solutions Challenge in Brazil. As she reflects on her entrepreneurial journey and the future of innovation globally, she notes that youth-led businesses will define the next phase of global economic growth. Esther Oluku reports

When Ruth Ede, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Scratop Nigeria Limited, a for-profit, sustainability-driven agribusiness that converts biowaste into high-quality organic fertilizers and soil solutions, clinched the first place position at the YouthADAPT Solutions Challenge in Brazil last year, it was not just another recognition of talent but a testament that work rooted in local realities, such as biowaste, soil degradation, and the needs of small holder farmers, can attract continental and international attention.

The YouthADAPT Solutions Challenge is a 12-months Africa focused climate solution challenge receiving applications from youth-led micro, small and medium scale enterprises who are building innovative solutions to strengthen the continent’s adaptation against climate shocks.

Ede, a native of Ohaji in Imo State, Nigeria, holds a Distinction in Agricultural Extension Management from the Federal College of Land Resources and Technology, was the best graduating student in the Department of Agricultural Education at Micheal Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, and is currently a Mastercard Foundation Graduate Certificate Scholar studying Global Management, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation at Arizona State University.

Speaking on her journey to global recognition, she said; “I grew up in a food crop production household after my family relocated to Imo State following the demolition of our home in Abuja, and I was trained through farm proceeds. This experience shaped my understanding of agriculture.”

Having started out on a clearly defined path towards becoming a professor, she explained that her career choice changed when she encountered the Bold Business for a Better Planet Competition for Universities. That experience, she said, introduced her to entrepreneurship allowing her to practically implement her research.

“Everything changed when I encountered the Bold Business for a Better Planet Competition for Universities. It helped me realize that I fit better into the entrepreneurship space, one that challenged me to contribute more meaningfully to shaping the future of our food system.

“Entrepreneurship gave me the freedom to design practical solutions to problems I had witnessed firsthand, including poor soil health, rising fertilizer costs, unsustainable biowaste management, and declining food quality.”

Before winning the YouthADAPT Solutions Challenge 2025, Ede has won several other awards some of which include the AYUTE Nigeria award valued at USD 20,000, 2024; Nigeria’s Overall Winner and Global Runner up of the Eatsafe Global Challenge, Denmark, 2022; Africa Green Female Award in 2021; and the third place winner of the Ugwumba Enterprise Challenge, 2020.

She stated that these awards strengthen her responsibility to scale impact, inspire other young people, while demonstrating that sustainability, profitability, and purpose can coexist in business.

“I see these recognitions not merely as personal achievements, but as validation that African-led and agriculture-focused solutions can compete on a global stage,” she said. “It is deeply fulfilling to know that work rooted in local realities, such as biowaste, soil degradation, and the needs of small holder farmers, can attract continental and international attention.

“The future is extremely promising. African youth are no longer just job seekers; we are solution builders, innovators, and system changers. With the right access to finance, enabling policies, mentorship, and markets, youth-led enterprises will drive transformation across agriculture, climate action, technology, manufacturing, and other sectors.

“In Nigeria, across Africa, and globally, youth-led businesses will define the next phase of economic growth by creating solutions that are locally relevant, climate-smart, and globally competitive. The key is to continue investing in young founders and trusting them with the future they are already building.”