Hello Tractor, an agricultural technology company, has been named the winner of the Agribusiness category at the 2025 Africa Sustainable Futures Awards, a major annual program presented by the Financial Times and the World Bank Group.
The award, announced at a special ceremony concluding the FT’s 12th Africa Summit on October 22, 2025 in London, recognizes Hello Tractor’s transformative work in tractor financing and deployment across Africa; a commercially viable, scalable, and sustainable solution addressing the continent’s agricultural productivity challenges.
Hello Tractor was recognized for its Pay-As-You-Go Tractor Financing and Mechanisation Hubs product, which tackles one of Africa’s biggest barriers to growth: limited access to financing and equipment by smallholder farmers. Rather than relying on traditional credit histories, the program uses real-time tractor data to assess lending risk, enabling access to loans for those typically excluded from formal finance.
Since its launch in 2022, the product has financed over 300 individuals with over 650 farm equipment and has grown to a $15m portfolio, maintaining high repayment rates with no expected credit losses. Most beneficiaries are first-time borrowers without prior banking relationships. Through this product, mechanisation service providers grow their businesses while smallholder farmers increase productivity and income. Hello Tractor is on track to deploy an additional $60 million in loans over the next two years, further scaling its reach and impact across the continent.
Backed by strategic partnerships, including its largest investor, John Deere , which drives deeper integration of mechanisation services across markets, and Heifer International , the impact investor that catalyzed the initial portfolio; Hello Tractor has built a powerful ecosystem connecting more than 2.5 million farmers across 20 countries to mechanisation services through a fleet of over 6,500 tractors and combines. This data-driven marketplace enables mechanisation service providers (MSPs) to grow their businesses while smallholder farmers boost productivity and incomes, collectively creating employment opportunities and strengthening rural economies at scale.
“We are deeply honoured to receive this recognition from the Financial Times and the World Bank Group. This award is a testament to the power of partnership from our dedicated team to our investors and financing partners and, most importantly, the resilience and entrepreneurship of the millions of farmers who trust Hello Tractor to power their livelihoods. Together, we are proving that sustainable agriculture, inclusive growth and commercial outcomes can go hand in hand,” said Jehiel Oliver, CEO of Hello Tractor.
The Africa Sustainable Futures Awards, now in its second year, celebrate commercially viable initiatives that deliver transformative and resilient solutions to Africa’s most pressing challenges from food security and infrastructure to healthcare and clean energy. The judging panel commended Hello Tractor for its innovative operational model, financial viability, and impact at scale particularly demonstrating how technology and innovative financing can catalyze inclusive growth and sustainable job creation across rural Africa. The award underscores Hello Tractor’s leadership in developing data-driven, market-based solutions that strengthen rural communities and contribute to Africa’s long-term prosperity.
About Hello Tractor Founded in 2014, Hello Tractor is a leading ag tech platform connecting farmers to tractor owners for affordable and timely mechanization services. Through its innovative financing and technology-driven approach, Hello Tractor is democratizing access to agricultural equipment across Africa, helping farmers boost yields, reduce costs, and build sustainable livelihoods.
About the Africa Sustainable Futures Awards The Africa Sustainable Futures Awards, presented by the Financial Times and the World Bank Group, promote innovative, long-term solutions to development challenges in Africa. The awards celebrate initiatives that demonstrate commercial viability while providing transformative, resilient, and scalable solutions across critical sectors, including agribusiness, energy, infrastructure, healthcare, and manufacturing.