UNDP Northeast Community Innovation Challenge 2026 (Up To $5000 Grant Funding)

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Applications are open for UNDP Northeast Community Innovation Challenge 2026. Do you have an innovative idea that can transform your community and address real challenges? The Northeast Community Innovation Challenge wants to hear from you.

UNDP, with funding support from the Government of Japan, and in partnership with the Abdul Samad Rabiu International Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the University of Maiduguri, invites innovators across Borno, Adamawa and Yobe States to submit innovative ideas with the potential to create meaningful impact.

Selected applicants will receive intensive training and mentorship to develop their ideas into practical solutions. Participants will also have the opportunity to build working prototypes through a Design and Prototyping Bootcamp at the Abdul Samad Rabiu International Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, University of Maiduguri.

UNDP Northeast Community Innovation Challenge Focus Areas

Applications are encouraged from innovators with solutions in the following areas:

Agriculture and Livestock
Construction and Shelter
Health Services
Education and Skills Development

Benefits

Intensive training and mentorship to strengthen their innovative ideas.
Opportunity to participate in a Design and Prototyping Bootcamp at the University of Maiduguri.
Opportunity to develop and test working samples of their proposed solutions.
A grant of $5,000 for each of the five selected innovative solutions to support implementation in their communities.
Transport, feeding, and accommodation support for training activities in Maiduguri.

Eligibility Criteria

Individuals and teams with innovative ideas are eligible to apply.
Applicants should have ideas capable of addressing real challenges in communities across Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe States.
Proposed solutions should align with at least one of the programme’s identified focus areas.
Women innovators are strongly encouraged to apply.