Isaac Sesi Reframes Agritech Success Around Trust, Affordability and Impact

Isaac Sesi says his experience building agricultural technology has changed how he measures success, moving his attention away from awards, personal recognition and investor appeal toward affordability, farmer trust and useful work.

Sesi, who grew up farming with his parents, founded and leads Ghanaian agritech company Sesi Technologies. The company develops tools aimed at reducing post-harvest losses, improving soil health and increasing productivity.

He discussed the company’s development and his views on African agriculture during an interview in Nairobi on July 26.

From farming to agricultural engineering

Sesi’s interest in agriculture was shaped by his family background and later connected with his interest in electronics and technology. While studying engineering at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, he joined a project focused on helping farmers measure grain moisture more effectively.

That work brought together his experience of farming, engineering training and interest in technology, eventually contributing to the creation of Sesi Technologies.

Many direct users of the company’s products are agribusinesses rather than smallholder farmers, Sesi said, although the benefits are intended to reach farmers. He noted that a technology can offer clear economic value and still struggle in the market if farmers cannot afford it.

As an illustration, he described a farmer who might be losing 30% of produce and could benefit from a better storage option. However, even when the potential return is much higher than the cost of the product, the farmer may not have enough money to buy it.

Building confidence in new tools

Sesi said agricultural technology also has to overcome questions of trust. Some farmers initially rejected soil information based on satellite data and maps, he explained, but became more comfortable when the company paired the service with a physical sensor.

He also recalled a farmer challenging a 13% reading from the company’s grain-moisture meter and relying instead on practical experience. For Sesi, such encounters demonstrated that technical logic alone is not always enough to persuade users.

“That you can’t rely on logic alone to sell something,” he said, describing one of the hardest lessons farming taught him about human behaviour.

He also stressed the importance of respecting farmers’ knowledge. “You respect the farmers; they respect you back. You think they’re idiots; they’ll think you’re an idiot,” Sesi said.

Lessons beyond awards

Sesi said an adviser from Uganda challenged him when awards and recognition were not producing enough sales, partnerships or business progress. The adviser warned him, “Don’t snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.”

The experience led Sesi to examine the difference between recognition and commercial results. He has also criticised what he sees as excessive attention among African founders to securing investment on terms that appeal to investors, rather than building revenue-generating companies.

He gave the example of founders seeking a deal such as $5 million for 10% of a company, while arguing that a smaller, profitable business can still create value by employing people, paying taxes and contributing to national development. In his view, many companies may never become worth $100 million and can still be worthwhile businesses.

A different vision for African agriculture

Sesi said he does not believe the current model of smallholder farming is scalable. He argued that Ghana could reduce imports of products it is capable of producing, including poultry and grains, while investing in irrigation, agricultural technology and arrangements that cluster smallholder farmers.

One model he proposed would bring about 50 farmers together to work across a larger area under a coordinated ownership structure. He said Africa has the potential to feed the world, but governments and businesses must take practical steps to make that possible.

Sesi said his own ambitions have also changed. Rather than concentrating on building a billion-dollar company or pursuing personal glory, he now wants to do work that improves people’s lives, supports his family and encourages other African inventors.

Asked what would make his career worthwhile, he identified “Inspiring thousands of young African inventors.” Even if his business ultimately failed, he said, inspiring 1,000 people would still represent a meaningful outcome.