Tobe Ofili joins Hello Tractor as chief financial officer

Hello Tractor, a Kenyan agricultural technology company, has appointed Tobe Ofili as its new Chief Financial Officer as the company intensifies efforts to address Africa’s agricultural mechanisation gap. Founded 10 years ago, Hello Tractor introduced an on-demand tractor-hailing model that connects smallholder farmers with tractor services, operating much like ride-hailing platforms.

Ofili studied in the United Kingdom at University College London (UCL) and the University of Cambridge, specialising in engineering and finance. His career spans roles at PwC and Bain, and he previously served as CFO at Medsaf and Carbon. He is also an active angel investor in several notable African startups, including Lemfi, Chowdeck, Bamboo, and Jendaya, among others.

His appointment comes at a time when the company is working to secure the long-term, patient capital needed to meet Africa’s rising demand for climate-smart and operationally de-risked mechanisation. Ofili says he intends to work closely with the team, alongside current and future investors, to address this financing challenge.

Hello Tractor was founded by Jehiel Oliver in 2014. With operations in 15 African countries, the company has digitised over 3.5 million acres of farmland and supported the production of five million metric tonnes of food. In Kenya alone,where Hello Tractor partners with the Ministry of Agriculture,over 700 tracked tractors and 1,100 booking agents now serve more than 360,000 smallholder farmers, opening 690,000 acres to cultivation. Across the continent, Hello Tractor’s network reaches about one million smallholders.

Smallholder farmers remain central to Africa’s food system. There are an estimated 33 million smallholders who collectively produce 80% of sub-Saharan Africa’s food. Yet, despite the region possessing a quarter of the world’s arable land, it contributes just 10% of global agricultural output. As productivity lags, many African countries spend up to $35 billion annually on food imports.

Speaking on his new role, Ofili said, “My focus is on scaling this unique Agri-FinTech model for exponential, sustainable growth. Our proprietary digital tractor-hiring platform, combined with our innovative Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG) tractor financing solution, fundamentally de-risks asset lending and unlocks financial inclusion for the previously unbanked.”