Esther Nyakiri has over 10 years of experience in social entrepreneurship, food technology, and project management. She is the co-founder and project lead of Blue Firms Investment, a grassroots mobilization organization in Kenya that empowers women and youth to become small-scale farmers. The organization has impacted over 250 households, increasing per-household income by 104%. She is enthusiastic about rural development, women's empowerment, and girls' education. She founded Urembo Mashinani CBO to mentor school-aged girls on sexual reproduction and mentorship, and she received the Young Agripreneur of the Year 2023 award for African women in agriculture. Esther earned a B.Sc. in food science and technology. Motivated by post-harvest losses and food insecurity, she is determined to make Africa food secure. Esther hopes to expand her organization to 10,000 people in one year and to other African countries in two years after completing the Mandela Washington Fellowship. Esther aims to run one of Africa's largest food companies within the next ten years.