ABF Agribusiness e-Academy Investment-Ready Program 2025 for Emerging Agripreneurs (Up to €2,000 Grant funding)

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Applications are open for ABF Agribusiness e-Academy Investment-Ready Program 2025. In many African, Caribbean, and Pacific countries, agriculture is the backbone of local economies — yet too many promising micro and small agribusinesses lack the skills and tools to grow. The Agribusiness e-Academy, is here to support young and emerging agripreneurs like you. Already over 55,000 MSME learners are completing courses and building skills.

The Agribusiness e-Academy funding programme supports innovative business ideas that strengthen agricultural value chains, enhance inclusivity (especially for women and youth), promote sustainability, and increase profitability. Participants will turn their knowledge from free online courses into viable business plans and compete for funding, mentorship, and growth support.

The Agribusiness e-Academy is inviting young and emerging agripreneurs to transform their ideas into investment-ready, climate-smart ventures.

This competition is organised by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH through its Agri-Business Facility for Africa (ABF) and Market-Oriented Value Chains for Jobs and Growth in the ECOWAS Region (MOVE-ComCashew) projects, both part of German Development Cooperation.

Agribusiness e-Academy Investment-Ready Program Benefits

Winners can receive one of there kickstart prizes:

2,000 EUR direct funding to boost your business
A laptop, tablet, or software to keep you on top of operations
Expert mentoring, training and incubation support
Connections to financial institutions that can take you further

By supporting viable business ideas, ABF works to ensure young and emerging agripreneurs are better positioned to attract investment and adopt low-emission, climate-resilient practices, contributing to sustainable food systems and rural livelihoods.

Eligibility Criteria

This call for submissions is open to participants who meet the following criteria:

Aged 18 and above
Based in a member state of the Organization of African, Caribbean, and Pacific States (OACPS) [check eligible countries here]
Working in one or more of the following value chains: cocoa, maize, cashew, or livestock (cattle, sheep, goats)
Participation is completely free of charge. The required e-learning courses are also offered at no cost.
Do you have an innovative idea that makes the above-mentioned value chains less fragmented, more inclusive ( particularly for women and youth ), sustainable, and profitable?

Competition Timeline

The competition is divided into three submission windows:

Window 1: 15 September – 7 November 2025
Window 2: 1 February – 30 April 2026
Window 3: 1 June – 31 August 2026

How To Apply for Agribusiness e-Academy

1) Register on atingi (www.atingi.org) or the Agribusiness e-Academy
Here you can access our free e-learning courses.

2) Complete the mandatory Agribusiness e-Academy courses :

Step 1: Complete Climate Smart Agri-Business Adaptation course
Step 2: Complete Business Model Canvas course
Step 3: The first two courses can be taken in any order. Once both are completed, you will unlock access to the final course Creating an Investment-Ready Agribusiness – this is your final required course!
For easy access, we’ve created a dedicated Agribusiness e-Academy Learning Hub on atingi, where all three courses are grouped together in one place: Agribusiness e-Academy
Step 4: Complete your AgriCanvas
Use the Business Model Canvas template provided in the submission module of Creating an Investment-Ready Agribusiness to develop your idea. This AgriCanvas is the official format for your submission.

3) Submit your idea
To ensure your submission is valid, you must:

Use the certificate ID from the Creating an Investment-Ready Agribusiness course as proof you’ve completed the required training.
Fill out the official submission form here: Call for submission.
Upload your completed Business Model Canvas using the template provided.

Click Here Apply

Application Deadline: 7 November 2025 (For Window 1)