Endeavor Nigeria has announced the selection of Desmond Koney, founder and CEO of Complete Farmer, into its network. The selection followed a multi-stage process that culminated in the International Selection Panel in Athens, Greece, in July 2026. Endeavor is a global entrepreneurship network that identifies and supports high-impact founders in emerging markets.

In a statement released by Joy Mabia, Manager, Marketing & Communications at Endeavor Nigeria, the organisation said Koney’s selection marks a significant milestone for Ghana’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and reflects the potential of African founders to build high-impact companies with regional and global ambitions.

Founded and headquartered in Ghana, Complete Farmer is an agricultural trading company that connects international commodity buyers with smallholder farmers across Ghana and Togo. The company works with more than 72,000 farmers and supplies international buyers including Aldi and Lidl, two of Europe’s largest grocery retailers. Its operations are supported by more than 350 field agents and eight fulfilment centres responsible for aggregation, grading, quality control and export logistics. That infrastructure addresses a challenge that runs through West African agriculture: smallholder farmers, who produce most of the region’s food and export crops, often lack reliable buyers, consistent grading and access to credit.

Complete Farmer has also expanded beyond agricultural trading. It has developed a marketplace for farm inputs and equipment, as well as a credit product that uses farm data to help farmers access financing.

Koney’s path into agriculture began unexpectedly. After studying mechanical engineering at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, where he graduated as valedictorian, and later studying hardware manufacturing in China, he co-founded the renewable energy venture Cibus Technologies in 2017.

Following his father’s death, he inherited the family’s pineapple farm outside Accra and encountered firsthand the challenges facing smallholder farmers, including limited market access, inconsistent buyers and restricted access to financing. He later left Cibus Technologies and founded Complete Farmer.

Commenting on the selection, Ireayomide Oladunjoye, Managing Director of Endeavor Nigeria, said:

“What makes Complete Farmer particularly exciting for us is that Desmond is building a Ghanaian company with a distinctly regional and global opportunity. His journey reflects the kind of entrepreneurship we believe can create meaningful economic impact while opening up new possibilities for the people and communities it serves. Welcoming Desmond into the Endeavor network is also an important opportunity to strengthen the connections between entrepreneurs across West Africa and the broader global network.”

Koney was selected alongside 27 other entrepreneurs leading 16 companies from markets across Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East and the Americas. The 2026 Athens cohort included entrepreneurs from Portugal, Italy, Ukraine, Ghana, Brazil, Spain, Chile, Jordan, Pakistan, Mexico, the United States, Colombia, Poland and Morocco.

Danielle Du Toit, CEO and founder of Humanify and an International Selection Panelist, said Complete Farmer stands out for combining technology with local relationships and infrastructure to reach farmers operating in challenging environments.

“Technology alone was never going to solve this problem, and Desmond understood that. The constraint isn’t demand, it’s supply, and as Desmond scales what he’s built in Ghana and Togo across the continent, Complete Farmer becomes real infrastructure for African farmers to reach the global economy.”

Endeavor’s support for selected entrepreneurs includes mentorship, introductions to global investors and business leaders, and peer connections across its international network. For Koney, joining Endeavor represents an opportunity to build beyond the company and contribute to Ghana’s broader entrepreneurial ecosystem.

“As the first Ghanaian company to join the Endeavor network, I also see this as something bigger than Complete Farmer. It creates a bridge between Ghana’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and a global community of founders, investors and business leaders. With that opportunity comes a responsibility to open doors for others, share what we learn and help more Ghanaian entrepreneurs access the relationships and resources that can support their own growth.”

The 2026 Athens International Selection Panel included Edgar Bronfman Jr. (Waverley Capital), Nick Beim (Venrock), Alexis Pantazis (Hellas Direct), Andreas Stavropoulos (Threshold Ventures), Anton Borzov (STRATMINDS), Ilan Benhaim (Veepee.com), Lisanne Dorion (Bacardi Limited), Melvyn Lubega (Baobab Group/Go1), Mohamed Azab (Grinta), Sergio Furio (Creditas), Cordel Robbin-Coker (Carry1st), Lucas Vargas (Nomad), Maher Loubieh (Hala), Martin Rohland (Baly), Mona Ataya (Mumzworld/Bayt.com), Mostafa Amin (Breadfast), Monica Brand Engel (Quona Capital), Sherry Coutu CBE, Antoine Colaço (Valor Capital Group), Danielle Du Toit (Humanify), Drew McElroy (Transfix), Lisa Raggiri, Noah Breslow (Bain Capital Ventures), and Shari Loessberg (MIT Sloan School of Management).