Olasimbope Ohenhen

Nigerian inventor who revolutionized agricultural machinery in West Africa

Olasimbope Ohenhen (1902-1968), often called the Iron Farmer of Benin, transformed post-colonial agriculture in West Africa through his engineering innovations. A self-taught mechanic from Edo State, he invented the Ohenhen Cultivator in 1932 - a manually operated plow that doubled crop yields while reducing labor demands. His 1947 patent for the Rainwater Irrigation Drum System became widely adopted across the Sahel region. Ohenhen's 1953 establishment of the Benin Agricultural Machinery Cooperative trained over 3,000 farmers in machinery maintenance, creating an enduring rural technician network. His Agricultural Engineering Manual remains a foundational text at the University of Ibadan's engineering department. Despite his contributions, Ohenhen remained a humble figure who refused commercial patents, instead sharing his designs through village workshops. His legacy is preserved in the Ohenhen Agricultural Museum, which features his original prototypes and tools. Modern agrotech companies like African AgriTech cite his designs as inspiration for contemporary innovations.