In a groundbreaking achievement for Nigerian youth and agricultural innovation, 19-year-old Ifeoluwa Afolayan has emerged as a first-prize winner at the prestigious 2025 WE Innovate Grand Final in the United Kingdom. The competition, held at Imperial College London, celebrated top female-led ventures, and Afolayan’s team walked away with €15,000 (approximately ₦21.6 million) in funding for their innovative project, Aeropod.
Ifeoluwa Afolayan, a Master’s student in Design Engineering jointly enrolled at Imperial College London and the Royal College of Arts, co-developed Aeropod under the startup Muju Earth alongside her teammates Yuchen Cai, Alex Clark, and Ocean Hu. The project’s focus is a climate-smart capsule designed to enrich and aerate soil, especially during periods of intense rainfall—a recurring challenge for farmers in climate-vulnerable regions such as Nigeria.
The Aeropod innovation directly addresses the damaging effects of erratic weather patterns and intensive farming on soil health. It enhances soil regeneration, improves agricultural yield, and helps local farmers adapt to the changing climate, ensuring long-term food security.
“I’m incredibly honoured to be part of WE Innovate and to win first prize,” Afolayan said after the announcement. “This initiative has the power to revolutionise agriculture in Nigeria, helping farmers adapt to climate change and ensuring food security for future generations.”
Beyond the accolade, Afolayan’s vision is clear: leverage innovation to transform Nigeria’s agricultural sector through sustainability, climate resilience, and youth-led entrepreneurship. According to her, the prize money will help Muju Earth forge partnerships with Nigerian agricultural firms and expand the deployment of Aeropod across farming communities in Nigeria.
“This achievement is a testament to the power of innovation and resilience,” Afolayan said. “Our project aims to transform agriculture in Nigeria, making it more sustainable and climate-proof. We believe that with the right support and partnerships, we can create lasting change that benefits farmers and helps safeguard our planet for future generations.”
The startup’s solution has been praised for its potential to reduce environmental degradation while increasing food productivity—two critical issues in sub-Saharan Africa. Experts see such innovations as central to tackling the continent’s dual challenges of climate change and food insecurity.
WE Innovate, the platform through which Aeropod was launched, is Imperial College London’s flagship pre-accelerator program tailored for women-led startups. It offers participants business coaching, masterclasses, mentorship, and access to a global network of investors and innovators.
By winning the first prize, Afolayan joins a growing list of African women making waves on the global innovation stage. Her success also aligns with Nigeria’s rising youth entrepreneurship movement, where young minds are creating solutions in technology, agriculture, education, and health.
Her team’s success sends a powerful message about the potential of youth-led innovation in driving meaningful change across sectors.
The news has sparked widespread celebration in academic and tech circles, with many praising Afolayan’s ingenuity and the promise her work holds for Africa’s agricultural future. Education stakeholders also see her story as an inspiration for young Nigerian students aspiring to solve real-world problems through science, technology, and design thinking.
As Muju Earth continues to gain momentum, stakeholders in the Nigerian agricultural space are expected to take keen interest in potential collaborations with the young startup, particularly in pilot testing the Aeropod technology on Nigerian soil.
Meanwhile, Afolayan’s story adds to a growing narrative of Nigeria’s brainpower making global impact—not just in traditional fields but also in cutting-edge, solution-driven ventures focused on sustainability, innovation, and inclusive development.