Beles Tech

Company Description

Beles Tech is an Ethiopian agri-food innovation company focused on unlocking the economic and environmental potential of cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica). By developing sustainable value chains around this climate-resilient crop, Beles Tech aims to create jobs, improve livelihoods, and support food security while promoting ecological sustainability in arid and semi-arid regions.

Team

Beles Tech is led by a multidisciplinary founding team combining entrepreneurship, agribusiness, nutrition, engineering, and energy expertise.

Mr Yusuf Reja, Co-founder and Board Chairman, is CEO of the Africajobs Network and brings extensive experience in enterprise development and employment ecosystems.

The Deputy Director, a director at Agora Consulting, contributes strategic advisory and project implementation expertise.

Dr Tsegay Tesafy, Co-founder and Director, is an engineer with strong technical leadership.

The broader team includes agronomists, nutrition and food specialists, and energy experts, ensuring a holistic and innovation-driven approach to value-chain development.

Countries of Operation

Ethiopia

Ownership of Company

Local Company (100% Ethiopian-owned)

Number of years since incorporated

2 years

Stage

Early Venture

Annual Revenue (in EUR)

EUR 10,000 – 50,000

Number of employees

11–50

Project Pitch

Beles Tech is developing an integrated cactus pear value-chain initiative to address youth unemployment, climate resilience, and food security in Ethiopia, particularly in arid regions such as Tigray. Cactus pear is a drought-tolerant crop requiring minimal water while providing food, livestock feed, and multiple industrial by-products. Despite its strong potential, the value chain remains largely untapped.

The project focuses on building youth-led enterprises through entrepreneurship training, value-added processing, and market integration. Planned products include cactus pear jam, juice, wine, biogas, fertilizer, animal feed, seed oil, soap, and natural dyes. Beles Tech also facilitates access to finance, links producers to domestic and international markets, and promotes climate-smart agricultural practices.

By structuring a scalable and inclusive value chain, the project aims to generate sustainable employment, strengthen rural economies, and contribute to Ethiopia’s long-term food security and climate adaptation objectives through innovation and strategic partnerships.

Total Project Cost (in EUR)

EUR 6,000,000

Financing needs (in EUR)

EUR 6,000,000

Type of financing needed

Grant

Planned allocation of fundraising capital

Greenfield (new activity for the company); Expansion (expanding an existing activity); Public-Private Partnership (PPP)