How my AI-powered poultry innovation won award in London

Abubakar Sadiq Abbas is a young innovator whose experience in poultry farming inspired him to develop PoultryPro, an artificial intelligence-powered farm management platform that recently received international recognition in London. In this interview with Vincent A. Yusuf, he speaks about the idea behind the innovation.

You developed an innovation that recently won an international award in London. What inspired it?

My journey into agricultural technology began with practical experience in poultry farming. Working in the industry exposed me to the everyday challenges farmers face, including manual record-keeping, monitoring egg production, managing feed consumption, tracking flock health, controlling operational costs and making informed business decisions.

I realised that poultry farming requires more than hard work. Farmers also need reliable information about their operations to understand performance, identify problems, manage resources and plan for the future. But when records are scattered across notebooks and separate calculations, getting a clear picture of a farm’s performance can be difficult.

With my background in Computer Science and Information and Communication Technology, I began exploring how digital technology could address these challenges. That led to the development of PoultryPro, an AI-powered poultry farm management and decision-support platform developed under Greenfield Contracts & Agro Limited.

PoultryPro brings essential farm operations into one digital platform, including egg production, feed management, flock health, mortality, financial records and analytics. The idea is to help farmers move from fragmented record-keeping to a more organised, data-driven approach to managing their farms.

Tell us about your recognition at the NXTGEN Innovation Challenge Grand Finale in London.

Being selected to represent Nigeria at the NXTGEN Innovation Challenge 2026 Grand Finale at ExCeL London was a significant milestone in my journey as an innovator from Katsina State.

It gave me an opportunity to present PoultryPro on an international stage and demonstrate how technology can be applied to practical challenges in agriculture. It also reinforced the importance of developing solutions that respond to local needs while creating opportunities for wider collaboration and growth.

At the event, I received two recognitions. I was named among Nigeria’s Top 100 Innovators and received an Award of Excellence for my contribution to advancing Nigeria’s innovation ecosystem through the project.

I see the recognition as encouragement to continue improving PoultryPro and expanding its potential impact. It is also a reminder that meaningful innovation does not have to come from a major technology hub. Young people from Katsina and other parts of Northern Nigeria can develop solutions to real problems and contribute to technology, agriculture and economic development.

For me, the achievement is not simply about receiving an award in London. It is about drawing attention to what is possible when practical experience, technical knowledge and a commitment to solving problems come together.

How do you see artificial intelligence shaping PoultryPro and the future of poultry farming?

The future of poultry farming will depend partly on how effectively farmers use information to manage their operations. Farmers generate valuable data every day through production records, feed usage, mortality, flock health and financial transactions. When properly organised and analysed, this information can help them understand their businesses better.

PoultryPro aims to make that process easier through a connected digital platform supported by AI and data analytics.

Our approach has five stages: Capture, Understand, Predict, Recommend and Act. Farmers first organise essential farm records in one place. The platform then analyses the records to help them understand performance and identify trends.

As its predictive capabilities develop, the system is intended to help farmers explore potential outcomes and provide data-informed recommendations. The farmer then reviews those insights and decides what action to take.

Our goal is to help farmers become better informed and more proactive in managing their businesses. For example, properly organised production and feed records can help a farmer identify changes in output, understand operating costs and assess the farm’s performance.

What is your vision for Katsina, Northern Nigeria and Africa?

As a young innovator from Katsina State, I believe our region has significant potential to contribute to agricultural technology. Northern Nigeria has a strong agricultural base, and poultry farming supports livelihoods, businesses and food supply chains.

Addressing the challenges facing the sector requires practical solutions, stronger collaboration, access to knowledge and technology that responds to the realities of farmers.

Through PoultryPro, I want to contribute to that transformation by helping farmers organise their operations, understand their performance and make better-informed decisions.

My immediate priorities are to improve the platform, strengthen its analytics and AI capabilities, expand its adoption among poultry farmers and build relationships with poultry associations, agricultural institutions, technology partners, investors and development organisations.

Over time, I hope to expand PoultryPro across Nigeria and into other African markets, adapting it to the needs of different farming communities. I also want to create opportunities for young people to participate in agricultural innovation through technology, entrepreneurship, farm management and related services.

My broader ambition is to demonstrate that local challenges can inspire solutions with wider relevance. PoultryPro began with problems I encountered through practical experience, but its vision extends beyond one farm or one state.

I want it to become a trusted tool that helps poultry farmers manage their businesses more effectively and contributes to the development of a more data-driven agricultural sector.

The NXTGEN recognition is an important milestone, but ultimately, I want PoultryPro’s impact to be measured by the value it delivers to farmers and the opportunities it helps create.

What is your message to young innovators?

My message to young people, particularly those from Northern Nigeria, is that they do not have to wait for perfect conditions before working on an idea. Start by understanding a problem, listen to the people experiencing it and use the knowledge and resources available to develop a practical solution.

Innovation requires persistence, learning, collaboration and a willingness to improve. Recognition can open doors, but long-term impact depends on building something useful and remaining committed to the people you intend to serve.

My experience with PoultryPro has shown me the value of combining practical industry knowledge with technology. I hope my journey encourages other young people to see agriculture, science and technology not as separate fields but as areas that can work together to create meaningful opportunities.

I am proud to represent Katsina State and Nigeria, and I remain committed to developing PoultryPro into a platform that contributes to better farm management, responsible AI adoption and agricultural development across Nigeria and beyond.