Farouk Aliyu

Nigerian tech entrepreneur who created Africa's first cryptocurrency-powered agricultural exchange

After surviving the 2009 banking crisis, Farouk Aliyu launched AgroChain in 2013 – a blockchain platform enabling smallholder farmers to bypass traditional financial intermediaries. His system used smart contracts to directly connect 1.4 million West African farmers with global buyers.

The revolutionary Digital Yam Standard eliminated price manipulation by local brokers. Aliyu's team developed solar-powered IoT devices tracking soil quality, creating the world's largest dataset on tropical crop growth patterns. Controversially partnered with Bitcoin developers to establish cryptocurrency silos in rural communities.

Despite government resistance, AgroChain processed $7.8 billion in transactions by 2022. Aliyu's TED talk sparked global discussions on decentralized agricultural economies. Currently developing AI-driven pest prediction models using satellite imagery.