Wiatta Thomas

Activist, Entrepreneur

Wiatta Thomas is the Co-Founder and CEO of AquaFarms Africa, and a youth employment and entrepreneurship expert, with 10 years of experience in building entrepreneurial ecosystems in West Africa. A veteran entrepreneur and dedicated to promoting African autonomy and economic empowerment, Thomas has launched several companies that provide solutions to obstacles that are most prevalent to African SMEs, such as access to financing and value chain services A food sovereignty activist, Thomas is currently empowering urban African youth through an innovative low-cost social franchising ownership model in aquaponics, a soilless farming technology. Thomas aims to leverage group economics and agri-tech solutions to decrease barriers to entry to markets, in turn building pan-African economic autonomy.

African Economic Autonomy. I believe that the freedom of black people around the world lies in leveraging group economics & shared resources to achieve economic autonomy.

Though the entire WORLD is trending towards investment in Africa and reaping massive rewards, African youth decidedly do NOT have access to those same economic opportunities. And moving from $1 a day to $2 a day is still poverty. African women and youth deserve more than subsistence. At the same time, 70% of food consumed across the continent is imported. We don't own our food, representing billions of dollars lost from our local economies. Agriculture represents the largest opportunity for economic growth and employment, and yet and still we have an average of 65% unemployment across West Africa. As climate change and capitalism continue to wreak havoc on international food supplies, African countries have a huge opportunity to be at the forefront of sustainably food production for the world while also transforming our economic destiny.