Nigerian innovator Smart Israel wins $100,000 Global Citizen award for climate-smart farming technology

A Nigerian entrepreneur and climate innovator has been named the grand prize winner of the 2026 Global Citizen Waislitz Awards, securing $100,000 USD to expand his revolutionary food production technology across Africa's most food-insecure regions.

Smart Israel, founder and CEO of Smartel Agri Tech, has developed an AI-enabled, solar-powered hydroponic system that allows communities to grow nutritious food without soil—a breakthrough solution for climate-vulnerable areas across Nigeria's Middle Belt where resource conflict, displacement and drought have fuelled widespread hunger and malnutrition. The technology has already transformed farming practices for thousands of families, with more than 3,000 systems deployed across communities facing severe agricultural challenges.

How the technology works for African farmers

Smartel's hydroponic systems represent a significant departure from traditional farming methods that depend on arable land and consistent rainfall—both increasingly scarce in Nigeria and neighbouring West African countries. By using solar power and water-efficient growing techniques, the systems enable year-round food production in nearly any environment, from urban spaces to drought-prone rural areas. This addresses a critical vulnerability: climate change and environmental degradation have made conventional agriculture increasingly unreliable for smallholder farmers across the Sahel and West African regions.

The $100,000 award will allow Smart Israel to expand Smartel's reach to 5,000 additional households and develop community hydroponic hub models that create both food security and economic opportunity. For Ghana and the wider West African region, where climate variability threatens crop yields and food prices remain volatile, such innovations represent a practical pathway toward agricultural resilience and reduced dependence on imported foodstuffs.

Why it matters for Ghana and West Africa

Ghana faces mounting pressure from climate change, population growth and rural-urban migration, all of which strain food production and increase reliance on imports. Innovations like Smartel's hydroponic systems offer scalable solutions that could be adapted to Ghanaian contexts, particularly in northern regions where water scarcity and soil degradation limit traditional farming. Recognition of Nigerian innovators working on regional challenges underscores that transformative solutions to Africa's development challenges are being created by Africans themselves, reducing dependency on external aid and building locally-owned sustainable enterprises.

The Global Citizen Waislitz Awards, now in their twelfth year, have distributed over $2.65 million USD to 35 changemakers across 15 countries, including Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda and South Africa. Two other recipients this year were recognised for breakthroughs in waterless sanitation and affordable menstrual health products—all addressing the interconnected crises of poverty, health and environmental sustainability that affect millions across sub-Saharan Africa.

The broader impact

Smart Israel's recognition reflects a growing global acknowledgement that grassroots entrepreneurs and community leaders positioned closest to poverty and climate challenges often develop the most practical and effective solutions. For West African countries grappling with food insecurity, climate adaptation and youth unemployment, supporting homegrown innovators like Smart Israel creates pathways for sustainable development, job creation and improved livelihoods without perpetuating dependency on foreign aid.