African Climate Innovation Challenge 2024 (Up to USD 10,000)

Reach us on

The African Climate Innovation Challenge is an annual initiative focused on identifying and supporting innovative climate solutions from African entrepreneurs and leaders. ACIC provides a platform for innovators to gain exposure, access resources, and participate in a community of like-minded individuals all working toward a common goal: tackling climate change in Africa.

Empowering young Africans to create impact in their local communities by solving sustainability challenges through entrepreneurship and innovation.

The African Climate Innovation Challenge (ACIC) is a challenge contest jointly developed and implemented by 3 E’s 4 Africa, Green Africa Youth Organization (GAYO), and Start.Up Lounge Africa. The project focuses on young Africans’ innovative start-ups, encouraging and empowering them to create a local impact in their communities through training and grant support. The ACIC is a challenge contest centered around young African start-ups in climate change and sustainable development to develop innovative, green business ideas and help them to upscale their business to make more impact. Young Africans apply to the ACIC with their business start-ups. The best 10 concepts are selected as the ACIC Cohort. They will go through an online curriculum, consisting of training and digital workshops. This allows them to work on and develop their start-ups further. Topics covered include climate change, how to fundraise, brand creation & marketing and business creation/management. The top 6 projects will be invited to Ghana as finalists where they will pitch their project to a panel of jury members. After the pitch event, the jury will select the winners. Each winner will receive considerable prize money dedicated to supporting them in the direct upscale of their business.

African Climate Innovation Challenge Objectives

Helping African communities build resilience and adapt to the adverse effects of climate change locally.
Empowering youth and local communities in Africa by providing skills, and tools and knowledge they need to create local impact.
Integrational knowledge sharing: bringing together local traditional practices with scientific or modern methodologies.
Addressing and solving climate challenges through entrepreneurship and innovation in Africa.

What innovations/solutions qualify for the ACIC?

Any innovative business solution that strives to help local communities mitigate or adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change and promote sustainability in general. For example:
- A business idea that proposes a solution or enables farmers to deal with harsh weather conditions (e.g. longer drought periods) would qualify as a climate change adaptation solution;
- A business idea that proposes a solution or enables people in your community to reduce CO2 or methane emissions would qualify as a climate change mitigation solution.

Eligibility for African Climate Innovation Challenge

Before applying, make sure your team is willing and able to commit to the requirements of ACIC.
Your startup should be a team of at least 2 people. Applications from startups with less than 2 people will not be considered.
Although not required, we specifically want to encourage female-led teams and teams with 40% – 50% female participants to apply.
All the members of your team must be of African descent and based in Africa.
Your startup must be focused around climate change mitigation and/or climate change adaptation.
Your start-up should be atleast at the prototype or MVP stage. We will not consider projects still at the early or ideation stage
All members of your team must be between 18 and 35 years old.
All members of the team must have a good mastery of either English or French.

Benefits

Up to USD 10,000 in prize money for winning startups to directly implement their innovative start-up ideas in their communities.
Tailor-made curriculum for all participants to further develop their startups.
Pitch your startup and solutions at a gathering of major climate stakeholders and an international audience.