The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Africa has announced an open call for funding proposals under the Accelerate Africa Entrepreneurship Challenge, an initiative of UNDP’s Youth and Women Entrepreneurship Portfolio.
The program aims to address Africa’s youth bulge by prioritizing job creation to enhance youth productivity and livelihoods, while economically empowering young people and women to apply business solutions to social challenges and generate sustainable employment across the continent. It also seeks to tackle unmet needs in underserved and at-risk communities, respond to emerging market demands, and formalize market opportunities and supply chain linkages for youth- and women-owned MSMEs.
Eligibility Criteria
- Must be 100% African-owned and managed. All owners, senior managers must be citizens of African countries. Passports or government IDs required.
- For-profit or non-profit entities. Must be registered and legally operative in Africa. Not government-owned/operated/affiliated.
- Should benefit underserved, at-risk, low-income, rural or urban populations; show how they improve livelihoods, especially for youth & women.
- Must be innovative, scalable.
- Must address local needs.
- Should include job creation, poverty reduction, improved access for women & youth.
- Demonstrated capacity to track and manage project resources; financial sustainability or a pathway to it.
- Proposals over US$250,000 must bring co-financing or leveraged funding.
Benefits
- Access to grant funding ranging from $20,000 to over $250,000 depending on the scope and scale of the project.
- Capacity building and technical support from UNDP during project implementation.
- Opportunities to network and partner with other development actors and stakeholders.
- Increased visibility and credibility through association with the UNDP.
