The 2025 Fortify Forward Innovation Challenge has highlighted the vital role of fortification and biofortification in the fight against malnutrition.
By Lebogang Mashala
The winners of the 2025 Fortify Forward Innovation Challenge (FFIC) were recently announced by the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Cotonou, Benin.
The FFIC is a pan-African competition that supports innovative and scalable solutions aimed at improving the nutritional value of food through fortification and biofortification. Finalists were from East and West Africa.
The winning innovators showcased their work, engaged with mentors and participated in knowledge-sharing sessions with experts, policymakers and leaders in nutrition and business throughout the food value chain.
According to GAIN executive director Dr Lawrence Haddad, food fortification and biofortification are transformative yet underutilised solutions to malnutrition. “Through Fortify Forward, we are not only identifying groundbreaking innovations from Africa but we’re also providing the tools needed to grow, scale and ultimately save lives,” he says.
Proven and Cost-effective Solutions
Food fortification involves adding essential micronutrients, such as iron, zinc, vitamin A and iodine, to staple foods like flour, oil and salt. This process helps individuals obtain the necessary nutrients without altering their eating habits.
Biofortification, on the other hand, enhances the nutrient content of crops at the seed level, thereby increasing the levels of vital vitamins and minerals in foods such as maize, cassava and sweet potatoes.
Both methods are scientifically proven and cost-effective solutions to combat “hidden hunger”, a condition caused by micronutrient deficiency that can weaken immunity, stunt children’s growth and reduce productivity.
From Outreach to Victory
The journey of this year’s FFIC winners began in January 2025 with regional outreach campaigns across eight African countries: Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Nigeria and Benin. Applications were reviewed in April and May, and the finalists selected were last month. Shortlisted participants then received virtual training in business, nutrition and innovation in preparation for the final event earlier this month.
Winners received grants ranging from $5 000 to $10 000 and joined a long-term support programme designed to help them succeed. However, the support for the innovators extends far beyond the grant awards. Each winner will receive tailored mentorship from experts in nutrition, agri-tech, business and impact investment, along with technical guidance to enhance their fortification processes and scale their solutions. The programme also includes capacity building in areas such as marketing and business development, as well as ongoing support from GAIN and its partners after the competition.
In addition, the winners will become part of a community of peers and experts driving innovation in nutrition and public health. They will have the opportunity to increase global and national visibility for their fortification and biofortification solutions through GAIN’s media platforms, while gaining valuable networking opportunities with investors, policymakers and leaders in African food systems.
Africa’s Nutrition Challenge and Opportunity
Despite some progress, malnutrition remains a significant challenge across the continent. In East Africa, 23 million people in Kenya are undernourished, whereas Ethiopia and Rwanda report stunting rates exceeding 33% among children under the age of five. In West Africa, Nigeria carries the world’s second-highest burden of stunted children, and in Benin, 58% of women suffer from anaemia.
According to Françoise Sayi, GAIN country director for Benin, nutritious food is still often unaffordable and inaccessible across this country. “The winners of this challenge are showing us a better path – one where technology and local innovation improve diets and lives,” she says.
Prisca Rwezahura, the alliance’s country director for Tanzania, emphasises the crucial role the innovation challenge is poised to play, stating that it is inspiring to see new innovators building on the pioneer work having been done in Tanzania in the field of large-scale food fortification. “We are proud to have championed the Fortify Forward Innovation Challenge and to play a key role in advancing nutrition security in Africa.”
The winning innovations included:
- A blockchain platform ensuring traceability, fair pricing and transparency in agriculture
- Multi-ingredient flour enriched with iron beans for maternal and child nutrition
- Porridge flour fortified with iron, vitamin B12, zinc and folic acid
- Porridge fortified with local grains and micronutrients for rural markets
- A traceability platform mapping biofortified foods from farm to fork
- A system that tracks and certifies biofortified crops using QR codes and radio frequency Identification (RFID)
- Fortified sorghum, local nutrient-rich foods and digital farmer tools
- Instant porridge fortified with key micronutrients for school children
- Cricket-based fortified porridge tailored for maternal and child health
- Yoghurt enriched with vitamin A, zinc, iron and calcium
- Yoghurt fortified with vitamins and minerals using precision micro-dosing
- Solar-hybrid system producing carrot powder rich in beta-carotene
- Vitamin A-enriched maize processed into flour, cereal and snacks sourced from women farmers
- An agri-tech platform offering traceability, farmer training and market access for biofortified crops
- Fonio-based biscuits enriched with iron, zinc, vitamins B and D, and plant proteins
- Research on orange-fleshed sweet potato integration through recipes, training and outreach
- Fermented locust beans enhanced with folate using modified Bacillus strains
- The use of microbial phytase to improve mineral absorption in plant-based staple foods
- A mobile solar-powered cart fortifying staple foods at rural markets
- Tomato purée fortified with vitamin A and packaged to protect nutrients
- Leafy vegetables fortified with iodised salt during processing to prevent iodine deficiency
- An IoT-monitored solar-powered system producing fortified foods, with a digital marketplace for distribution
