Three innovators win OPEC Fund Annual Award for Development

This year’s winners are advancing practical solutions in renewable energy, food security and climate resilience — from women-led enterprises in the Sahel to smallholder farmers in Bangladesh and rural communities facing post-harvest losses.

The 2026 Award also marks a new chapter for a program first launched in 2006.

Revamped for the OPEC Fund’s 50th anniversary, the Award now recognizes excellence across three categories: Transformational Impact, Innovation for Development and Youth Entrepreneurship.

The new format highlights solutions that are already delivering results and have the potential to be replicated or scaled.

The Transformational Impact Award, valued at US$450,000, was presented to Fundación Plan International España for DESFERS, an initiative supporting women in the Sahel through renewable energy, skills training and access to financing.

“Thank you, but this award does not belong to us. It belongs to the women who turned solar panels into irrigated gardens, processing units and businesses that fed and educated their families through the dry season; women who, through a pandemic, security crises and political upheaval, never stopped building,” said Virginia Saiz, Plan International National Director.

By helping women build and grow enterprises, DESFERS shows how clean energy can expand economic opportunity and drive lasting development impact.

The Innovation for Development Award, valued at US$250,000, was presented to iFarmer Limited for its work with smallholder farmers in Bangladesh.

According to Tahmid Hasan, Vice President of Revenue at iFarmer: “Our real reward comes from serving farmers, but an award from institutions such as the OPEC Fund inspires us to push boundaries and continue helping farmers, especially women farmers, access more financing, better inputs, market opportunities and advisory services so they can prosper.”

Through an integrated platform, iFarmer connects farmers to finance, agricultural inputs, advisory services, weather alerts and markets.

The company has supported more than 300,000 farmers and helped bring hundreds of thousands of tons of produce to market, strengthening food systems and rural livelihoods.

The Youth Entrepreneurship Award, valued at US$100,000, was presented to AkoFresh.

AkoFresh provides solar-powered cold storage, refrigerated transport, farmer training and market links to help rural farmers reduce post-harvest losses, improve incomes and strengthen food security.

Its work highlights the role of youth-led entrepreneurship in advancing climate resilience and inclusive rural development.

Accepting the award, Mathias Charles Yabe, Founder and CEO of AkoFresh, said: “To every young person with a dream that feels too big, too difficult or too early: keep going. The world needs your ideas, your energy and your determination. Thank you to the OPEC Fund for believing in youth-led innovation and for creating this platform to empower the next generation to build a more inclusive and sustainable future.”

The winners were selected by an independent committee comprising Zubaida Bai, former President and CEO of Grameen Foundation; Simeon Ehui, Director General of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Regional Director for Africa at CGIAR; and Michell Zappa, Founder and CEO of Envisioning Technology Research Institute.

The committee assessed nominations based on impact, innovation, sustainability and potential for replication.

The awards were presented during an evening ceremony following the OPEC Fund Development Forum, which brought together leaders from government, development finance institutions, the private sector and civil society.

As the OPEC Fund enters its next chapter, the Annual Award reflects a clear priority: supporting people and organizations turning bold ideas into practical development impact.