AI for Good stories

Meet Evet, a Nigerian AgriTech startup enhancing livestock healthcare with AI model

Young innovators revolutionizing agrifood systems in the Global South gathered at the start of the year in March to showcase their AI-driven AgriTech startups. These four startups, who participated in the Innovation Factory, our leading UN-based startup pitching and acceleration platform, aims to help startups grow and scale their AI-powered solutions to address global challenges.

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Mingna Li

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Young innovators revolutionizing agrifood systems in the Global South gathered at the start of the year in March to showcase their AI-driven AgriTech startups. These four startups, who participated in the Innovation Factory, our leading UN-based startup pitching and acceleration platform, aims to help startups grow and scale their AI-powered solutions to address global challenges.   

Organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in collaboration with the World Food Forum (WFF), this session sought to identify and support youth-led startups leveraging AI, machine learning, and advanced algorithms to transform agrifood systems, with a special focus on emerging innovators from the Global South. Three innovation experts from the WFF and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) served as judges for the pitch competition. Following a dynamic round of presentations, Evet, an agritech startup based in Nigeria, was awarded the top prize for its groundbreaking, end-to-end platform that delivers professional veterinary care directly to smallholder farmers. Leveraging artificial intelligence, Evet is already improving outcomes for over 50,000 small-scale farmers across sub-Saharan Africa, transforming animal healthcare through accessible, tech-driven solutions.  

Dr. Stephen Obe, Founder of Evet, experienced first-hand “how smallholder livestock farmers in sub-Saharan Africa struggle to grow their yields” having worked with livestock farmers for over 10 years as a veterinary doctor. In an exclusive interview, Dr.Obe highlighted that limited access to veterinary care causes various issues for livestock farmers such as poor animal healthcare, welfare and sustainable husbandry practices that is affecting both their productivity and livelihoods.  

This experience gave me the drive to build Evet to democratize access to quality animal healthcare solutions among smallholder livestock farmers in sub–Saharan Africa” Dr. Stephen Obe explained.  

Access to quality animal healthcare remains a major challenge for African livestock farmers, resulting in average annual income losses of approximately $2.5 billion in Nigeria alone. In 2023, the FAO reported that livestock mortality rates ranged between 40% and 60% each year, highlighting the severity of the issue. According to Dr. Obe, a significant contributing factor is the severe shortage of veterinary professionals, with only one veterinary agent available for every 10,000 farmers. He also emphasized that delayed disease detection and treatment, coupled with poor farm management practices and limited access to expert advice, continue to undermine the productivity and sustainability of the sector. 

Driven by a commitment to accessibility and early intervention, Evet has developed an AI-powered model that detects and predicts livestock diseases, enabling timely treatment and helping prevent outbreaks before they occur. To make this technology widely accessible to smallholder farmers, Evet has integrated the AI model into a WhatsApp-based chatbot. This intuitive tool not only supports disease detection but also enables farmers to log daily farm records, access actionable data insights, and connect directly with nearby veterinary doctors or clinics. Designed with inclusivity in mind, the chatbot is multilingual and available in local Nigerian languages such as Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa. 

“We have built an AI model that can detect and predict livestock diseases, helping in disease prevention and early intervention,” Dr. Stephen Obe shared. 

Complementing its digital innovation, Evet also operates a network of franchised veterinary clinics and agrovet shops across the country. These physical locations offer farmers easy access to veterinary care and climate-smart agricultural inputs like vaccines, ensuring support is available both online and offline. Through this dual approach, Evet is creating a more resilient, tech-enabled future for livestock farming in Nigeria. 

“According to FAO, about 40% of livestock animals are lost to diseases annually. My solution can help reduce this loss thereby directly increasing protein availability in vulnerable communities.” Dr. Stephen Obe. 

By improving animal health, Evet is enabling livestock to produce more milk, eggs, and meat consistently, helping reduce seasonal hunger gaps. Increased productivity also ensures that animal-source foods remain accessible in regions where they are vital for delivering essential micronutrients. 

Evet’s AI-powered solutions contribute to climate-smart agriculture by improving resource efficiency: healthier animals require fewer inputs per unit of food produced, reducing the sector’s overall environmental footprint. The platform’s early disease detection capabilities also help farmers adapt to shifting disease patterns driven by climate change. In addition, Evet facilitates the dissemination of climate-resilient livestock practices tailored to local conditions. 

By preventing livestock losses, Evet protects the primary financial asset of millions of smallholder farmers. Its platform improves animal health outcomes, enabling farmers to meet quality standards required by formal markets and expand their participation in agricultural value chains. Furthermore, the network of veterinary clinics and agrovet shops powered by Evet creates rural employment opportunities, boosting local economies. 

Evet’s digital platform generates valuable, real-time data on livestock health patterns, providing critical insights to inform responsive and effective agricultural policies. By augmenting limited veterinary capacity with AI, the platform dramatically extends the reach and efficiency of animal health extension services. Evet also exemplifies how AI can enable developing regions to leapfrog traditional infrastructure limitations, unlocking scalable, tech-enabled progress in rural communities. 

One of the primary challenges faced by Evet is developing a solution that remains effective in low-resource environments while ensuring long-term, sustainable impact. Operating in regions with limited infrastructure, the team is deeply committed to creating technology that meets farmers where they are, both digitally and geographically. 

The startup joined the Innovation Factory Pitching Competition to connect with a global network of AI leaders and unlock new opportunities for mentorship, strategic partnerships, and funding. By participating, Evet aimed to accelerate the growth of its AI-powered livestock health solution and expand its impact across sub-Saharan Africa and beyond. 

Evet is one of many forward-thinking startups spotlighted by the AI for Good Innovation Factory, which continually showcases transformative AI solutions addressing global challenges. As the winner of this pitching session, Evet has secured a place in the Innovation Factory Grand Finale at the AI for Good Global Summit 2025, where it will compete against other top startups from qualifying tournaments. 

 

Watch the full session here: