Israel Smart, co-founder of Smartel Agri-tech and a student innovator at the African Leadership University, has been awarded the 2025 UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour Award, one of the world’s most respected recognitions for contributions to human settlements and urban development.
The award recognises solutions that improve living conditions and respond to real challenges in communities. Israel’s work with Smartel Agri-tech reflects that focus, building innovations grounded in local realities and designed for long-term impact.
The Mindset Behind the Innovation
For Israel, that mindset has been shaped over time.
“In college, we had a mantra: do hard things,” he says.
That principle continues to guide how he approaches problem-solving. Through Smartel Agri-tech, the focus is on addressing challenges in agriculture and community systems, where access, efficiency, and infrastructure play a critical role in outcomes for farmers and local economies.
He traces part of that thinking back to an early lesson at home.
“As a child, my mom would make us take a nap after school, and I hated it,” he says. “Years later, I realised it wasn’t about sleep. She was teaching me belief, that if you want to become something, you have to see it first in your mind.”
That idea, of imagining solutions before they fully exist, continues to shape how he approaches what ALU calls Grand Challenges and Opportunities, identifying problems worth solving and building toward them with intention.
About the Award and Recognition
The UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour, established in 1989, recognises individuals and initiatives driving meaningful change in housing, urban development, and sustainability. Israel’s inclusion reflects both the strength of his work and the growing role of African-led innovation in shaping global conversations.
At ALU, his work has developed alongside his studies in an environment that prioritises applied learning and real-world problem solving. His journey reflects a broader pattern across the university, where students are encouraged to build solutions that extend beyond the classroom.
African Leadership University’s Role in Shaping Innovators
Agriculture continues to sit at the center of the continent’s economic potential, yet much of that value remains unrealised.
Innovations like Smartel Agri-tech point to a different trajectory, one where new approaches can unlock efficiency, expand opportunity, and reshape how value is created across agricultural systems.
At African Leadership University, students are encouraged to engage with these opportunities directly, building solutions that respond to real challenges and contribute to long-term growth across the continent.
