Throwback to where the vision began...
At a young age of 9 years, Otobong's family settled in a low-income community in the south-south region of Nigeria. Growing up here, he witnessed stark challenges - poverty, food insecurity, and limited opportunity.
Years later, after graduating from college, life took an unexpected trajectory. His mother - the primary breadwinner of the family - suffered a debilitating stroke followed by dementia and could no longer work. Suddenly, he was held back in his hometown as her full-time caregiver.
The following year, a new crises unfolded. They faced growing food shortages further exacerbated by the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and worsening climate effects. In a desperate bid to survive, he parked his dreams of a tech career in a bustling city and turned to trading agricultural commodities, ethically sourcing from rural communities — particularly women. These women reminded him of his mother - resilient, hardworking, and yet stuck in a cycle of poverty. What he saw broke his heart.
One day, Otobong met Eyo - a smallholder farmer in Abenyo, a remote coastal village in Cross River State, Nigeria. Together, his wife and five children live in a mud shelter, caught in the cycle of generational poverty. As the breadwinner, Eyo always hopes of securing a better lifestyle, education for his children, and healthcare for his family — especially for his pregnant wife, who works alongside him on their family farm. Yet, their lives are a constant battle against nature. When the rains fail and yields decline, Eyo's family goes without food for days.
In many rural communities, families often go to bed hungry - not because they are lazy, but because nature has turned against them. The land they depend on can no longer produce enough food, yielding less with each passing season.”
The Epiphany
As Otobong continued to help these families sell their produce, he observed powerful impacts in the small wins — a gallon of palm oil sold, a family fed, and money earned for medicine and school tuition. He began working on an audacious vision: to uplift entire rural communities, empowered to lead the fight against poverty, hunger, and inequalities.
He believes agriculture is the most powerful lever for rural transformation. And with the right tools, knowledge, and support, smallholder farmers can transcend beyond poverty and hunger while nurturing the land that feeds them.
Otobong founded Amarna Agro Technologies — a social enterprise born out of adversity, set out on a mission to empower a new generation of action-oriented changemakers from the very communities too often left behind. The goal: to harness the transformative power at the intersection of agriculture and technology to create hallways to prosperity and build a sustainable future.
Reminded of his childhood, Otobong envisions a world where anyone, anywhere, has the opportunity to dream boldly — and wake up to pursue those dreams without fear or doubt.
Recognitions and Awards
Otobong has been recognised by reputable organisations: Among them are:
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2013
Nomination for the NASA Space Apps Challenge
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2016
The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) Entrepreneur