Sokoine Agrienterprises Plc (SAEG) was started in 2022 by 11 graduates and students from the Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA). The company shows how university training and guidance can help young people start real agribusinesses. It came from SUA STEPS, a SUA programme for Skills Training for Entrepreneurship and Proprietorship. SAEG started with tomato and sunflower farming on SUA fields, which were used as a learning and testing place for new ideas.
With help from SUA experts, the young founders learned how to use their knowledge in business. They worked hard, learned from mistakes, and proved that with good guidance, young people can make farming modern and profitable.
SAEG was later registered at BRELA as a Public Limited Company (PLC) so that it could grow and reach more markets. It started with 11 shareholders, and the number has now increased to 32 shareholders. After registration, Mr. Gregory P. Simeo, the Chairman and Managing Director, gave strong leadership that helped the company grow step by step. Under his guidance, SAEG improved its operations, added more activities, and built good partnerships that helped the company reach more customers.
Today, SAEG is a growing agribusiness company working in fisheries and aquaculture, cereal and grain exports, logistics, and pasture production. It connects farmers, producers, and markets, and promotes good practices like value addition and sustainable farming. The company employs 30 full-time staff and supports a number of informal and seasonal workers.
SAEG sells its products both locally and internationally. It exports cowrie shells and pigeon peas to India, white maize to Kenya, and supplies vegetables and sweet corn to the China High Commission in Tanzania, two supermarkets in Dar es Salaam (Shoppers and A to Z), and one supermarket in Dodoma.
Looking to the future, Mr. Simeo and his team plan to continue building SAEG as one of the active youth-led agribusiness companies in East Africa. They want to help improve food security, increase exports, and create more jobs. From the campus fields of SUA to markets across Africa, SAEG shows how knowledge from the university can be turned into real action that supports young entrepreneurs and the future of agriculture.