As global food systems face mounting pressure from climate shocks, soil degradation and capital models that prioritise extraction over resilience, a growing cohort of African entrepreneurs is betting on a different future built on regeneration, local ownership and purpose-driven enterprise.
That future moved a step closer this week as Rootical, the Uganda-based regenerative start-up studio, announced its official expansion into Tanzania, marking a significant milestone in the scaling of its East African model.
The announcement was made by Hannes Van den Eeckhout, founder of Rootical, who confirmed that the organisation is launching Rootical Tanzania in partnership with Hadija Jabiri, a seasoned agribusiness leader and AGRIEDO Hub, who will serve as managing partners and co-founders of the Tanzanian entity.
“Right before we close this year, I’m beyond happy and proud to announce and reaffirm Rootical’s launch into Tanzania,” Van den Eeckhout said, describing the move as the result of a long and deliberate build-up rather than a rapid expansion play.
Scaling Regeneration not just Startups
Founded to support purpose-driven Ugandan entrepreneurs, Rootical operates as a regenerative start-up studio, backing founders who aim to build agroecological and regenerative agri-food businesses that challenge how food is produced, financed and owned.
With the Tanzania launch, Rootical now formally operates across Uganda and Tanzania, two countries that sit at the heart of East Africa’s agricultural economy and face similar pressures around climate resilience, smallholder inclusion and food security.
“Rootical powers purpose-driven Ugandan and now also Tanzanian entrepreneurs to build food system-shaking, agroecological and regenerative agri-food businesses,” Van den Eeckhout said.
The expansion comes as regenerative agriculture and agroecology gain traction globally, not only as environmental solutions but as commercially viable models. From Europe to Latin America, investors and policymakers are increasingly recognising that food systems built on soil health, biodiversity and local value chains are better positioned to absorb climate risk and deliver long-term returns.
Africa, where agriculture employs more than half the workforce in many economies, is emerging as a critical testing ground for these models.
A Long Road to Tanzania
While the announcement may appear timely, the groundwork has been laid over much of 2025.
According to Rootical, the process included a call for expressions of interest, engagement with nine potential partners, an August inception meeting with three shortlisted partners, mutual due diligence and sustained fundraising efforts on both sides.
“This announcement has been in the making since early 2025,” Van den Eeckhout said. “It’s quite exciting to now gear up for replication of the Rootical regenerative studio model in Tanzania in 2026.”
The decision to partner locally reflects a broader trend in African entrepreneurship ecosystems: scaling through deep local collaboration, rather than top-down replication. AGRIEDO Hub brings on-the-ground expertise in agribusiness development, agri-preneurship and leadership training across the agricultural value chain, positioning Rootical Tanzania to operate with local credibility from day one.
Rootical’s Tanzania launch is not symbolic. A series of concrete next steps have already been announced.
In early January, Rootical Tanzania will open its first call for founders, targeting 50 future entrepreneurs to build regenerative agri-food businesses within the studio model.
The organisation has also confirmed that it will soon announce a third strategic partner, described by Van den Eeckhout as “decisive” to making the expansion work. In parallel, job opportunities at Rootical Tanzania are being launched, signalling the operationalisation of the new entity.
“Come and build with us,” Van den Eeckhout said. “To transform the food system. One business at a time.”
Rethinking Capital and Ownership
At the core of Rootical’s approach is a deliberate challenge to how agribusinesses in Africa are typically financed and governed.
The studio’s work is structured around three pillars:
- Regenerative agriculture and agroecology, positioned as the most viable paradigms for future food systems;
- Purpose-driven entrepreneurship, aimed at delivering both impact and profitability through inclusive business models; and
- Steward ownership, a financing and governance approach that moves away from extractive capital towards long-term, mission-aligned investment.
This focus on steward ownership aligns with a growing global conversation around patient capital, blended finance and impact investing particularly relevant in agriculture, where short-term returns often undermine long-term productivity.
In Africa, where access to capital remains uneven and many agribusinesses struggle to scale without compromising their mission, such models are gaining attention from development finance institutions, family offices and values-aligned investors.
Rootical’s expansion into Tanzania underscores a broader shift in African entrepreneurship from building businesses that merely survive, to building systems that regenerate land, livelihoods and capital itself.
As East Africa looks to agriculture not just for subsistence but for climate resilience, employment and export growth, models like Rootical’s offer a blueprint that blends local ownership, ecological integrity and commercial discipline.
For Van den Eeckhout and his partners, the ambition is clear, even if the work remains complex.
“We aim to regenerate not only agriculture,” Rootical states, “but also finance and entrepreneurship.”
In a region where food systems are both a vulnerability and an opportunity, that ambition may prove timely.
