Abrhame Endrias Butta is the Founder & Managing Director of Lersha, a
pioneering agri-tech platform transforming access to finance, inputs,
markets and advisory for smallholder farmers in Ethiopia and beyond. With
15+ years in agribusiness and digital finance, he partners with banks,
insurers, and global organizations to de-risk rural lending and scale climate
smart solutions, positioning farmers at the center of Africa’s digital and
green transformation.
Under his leadership, Lersha has developed a phygital model that combines
digital technology with a nationwide network of 3,600+ agents, enabling
over 340,000 smallholder farmers to access bundled agricultural services
across 9 regions of Ethiopia. The platform ensures effective last-mile
service delivery while progressively expanding its model beyond Ethiopia,
with growing operations in Kenya and Uganda.
Looking ahead, Abrhame is driving Lersha’s long-term vision to reach one
million active smallholder farmers by 2030 while expanding the platform’s
model beyond Ethiopia into East and Southern Africa. By scaling
technology-enabled agricultural services and strategic partnerships across
the region, his work aims to strengthen inclusive agricultural markets and
position smallholder farmers at the center of Africa’s digital, climate
resilient, and sustainable agricultural transformation.