Zowasel CEO Name Among 2025 Meaningful Business 100 (MB100)

2025 Meaningful Business 100 (MB100) Icon

Zowasel is proud to announce that Jerry Oche, our Founder and CEO, has been selected as one of the 2025 Meaningful Business 100 (MB100) awardees. This prestigious global recognition celebrates leaders who successfully blend profit and purpose to tackle complex social and environmental challenges.

Now in its seventh year, the MB100 highlights purpose-driven leaders whose work demonstrates innovation, equity, leadership, impact, and scalability. This year’s winners were selected from over 900 nominations across 86 countries, evaluated by a panel of judges representing global organizations such as Google, Mastercard, Unilever, SAP, Temasek, and the World Economic Forum.

As part of the year-long MB100 program, awardees gain access to investment opportunities, capacity-building workshops, mentorship, pro bono services, and exposure through partnerships with organizations such as EY, Hogan Lovells, Forster Communications, Green Frontier Capital, Kenya Climate Ventures, and The Portman Estate. They also join a global network of social entrepreneurs, sustainability leaders, and impact investors.

“Firstly, congratulations to Jerry Oche and the Zowasel team, whose inspiring work at Zowasel demonstrates how combining profit and purpose can tackle complex social and environmental issues. The caliber of this year’s applications was exceptionally high, and we’re honored to have Jerry join our global community,” said Tom Lytton-Dickie, Founder & CEO of Meaningful Business.

“Congratulations to the MB100 Class of 2025! These inspiring leaders in social entrepreneurship, sustainability, corporate innovation, and impact investing show how entrepreneurial thinking can be truly transformational. Chosen from over 900 nominations, they deliver scalable solutions to global challenges by aligning purpose with profit,” added Stasia Mitchell, EY Global Entrepreneurship Leader and MB100 judge.

Driving Agribusiness Transformation Across Africa

Under Jerry Oche’s leadership, Zowasel is redefining how agriculture works across Africa by directly connecting cooperatives, merchants, and agribusinesses to national, regional, and global processors, manufacturers, and trade houses.

The company provides tools for fair pricing, fast settlements through alternative finance, and compliance with global quality standards. With strategic support from NIRSAL, OCP Group, and the IFC, Zowasel is scaling its alternative finance model, enabling agribusinesses to access working capital quickly and sustainably.

Zowasel also pioneered Crop Pilot MRV, a digital measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) system that helps transition agriculture from a carbon source to a carbon sink, empowering farmers to adopt regenerative and climate-smart practices.

These innovations align closely with MB100’s mission — driving impact, equity, and sustainability through scalable business solutions.

Speaking on the recognition, Jerry Oche said: “I am deeply honored to be selected as part of the 2025 MB100 alongside visionary changemakers worldwide. This recognition reaffirms that our business model — blending agrifinance, digital innovation, and environmental stewardship — drives meaningful impact across Africa.

I dedicate this recognition to the incredible Zowasel team across Nigeria and East Africa, whose sleepless nights, resilience, and unwavering dedication to our mission continue to power everything we do. Your hard work and belief in our vision of transforming Africa’s agribusiness value chains make this achievement possible”.

He adds, “We also sincerely thank our customers and partners for their trust, collaboration, and confidence in what we do daily. This is not just a personal milestone but a collective victory — for every farmer, partner, and stakeholder working with us to build a climate-smart, inclusive, and prosperous agricultural future for Africa.”

What the Recognition Means for the Zowasel Ecosystem This milestone is a testament to the collective strength of the Zowasel ecosystem. For our team, it reflects the hard work, creativity, and mission-driven spirit that fuel everything we do. For our customers and partners, it validates your trust in us and demonstrates that our shared model is earning global recognition and support.

For our partners and board members, the Meaningful Business 100 recognition affirms Zowasel’s strong growth trajectory and unlocks new opportunities for collaboration, investment, and strategic partnerships. And for the broader agricultural ecosystem, this honor reinforces our commitment to building an inclusive, sustainable, and digitally empowered agribusiness landscape across Africa.

Discover the complete list of 2025 MB100 honorees and their inspiring work here: meaningful.business/mb100–2025

About Meaningful Business Meaningful Business empowers purpose-driven leaders to succeed by combining profit with social and environmental value. Its global community spans over 140 countries, connecting social entrepreneurs, corporate sustainability leaders, and impact investors. The Meaningful Business 100 is its flagship recognition program, celebrating individuals shaping a more inclusive and sustainable future.