Uka Eje

Nigeria is home to nearly a quarter of a billion people, with roughly 38% of the working population employed in the agricultural sector. That’s an awful lot of farmers tilling an awful lot of soil—with an awful lot of power to turn their country green. Uka Eje, co-founder and CEO of the agritech company ThriveAgric, is helping them do just that.

Under Eje’s leadership, ThriveAgric is rolling out a pilot program across Nigeria—with plans to expand into Ghana, Uganda, and Kenya as well—under which one hectare (2.47 acres) of fruiting trees like mango and guava would be planted alongside each hectare of corn, rice, and soybeans. As the trees sequester carbon from the air, the farmers will earn carbon credits, which can be purchased by industry through the multi-national bank Rabobank—both bringing revenue to the agricultural sector and reducing Africa’s role in climate change. ThriveAgric plans to kick off the program, long in the planning, early next year.

“We’re trying to ensure that we start with the upcoming farming season, which begins in March,” says Samirah Bello, ThriveAgric’s global head of partnership. “But before then, we have to do all of the training, ensuring that the farmers start practicing all the things they need to practice to get ready for the season. We’re looking at a minimum of 30,000 farmers.”

That minimum should grow fast, with a projected expansion to 200,000 or more after the program establishes itself. With a single initiative, a growing swath of Africa will not only be feeding its people, but cooling the planet.