Pierre Castel Prize 2025 For African Agri-entrepreneurs (Up To 35,000€)

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The Pierre Castel Fund – Acting with Africa and its partners Boissons du Cameroun, Brakina, Bracongo, Brasimba, Castel El Djazaïr, Solibra and Star Madagascar have launched the call for applications for the eighth edition of the Pierre Castel Prize.

The Pierre Castel Prize is a pan-African competition that supports young talents who are driving sustainable development in their countries.

Initially focused on the agriculture and agri-food sectors, the Fund’s scope expanded in 2025 to include all stakeholders and levers of transformation of food systems, with a particular emphasis on innovation.

Pierre Castel Prize Funding Information

The Pierre Castel Prize’s grants are a strategic lever for accelerating business growth and strengthening their impact on African food systems.

The Super Winner
- 35 000€ financial endowment
- A mentoring program
- A personalized coaching program
- One year of support as a PanAfrican ambassador for the Pierre Castel Prize
- Business cards with the words “Super” Winner of the 2025 Pierre Castel Prize
- Participation in the Residency program Entrepreneurial “African Builders”
- Support for participation in international trade fairs
- Pan-African media spotlight
- Support for certification
The Six Winners
- 25 000€ financial endowment
- A mentoring program
- A personalized coaching program
- Business cards with the words ”Winner of the Prix Pierre Castel 2025’’
For All The Winners
- Coverage of membership fees to the Patronage of the country concerned
- Factory tours
- Connecting with potential partners and investors
- Participation in Master Classes given by employees of subsidiaries on key themes: communication, sales, marketing, product quality, inventory management and food safety
The finalist entrepreneurs of this edition will have access to certified e-learning entrepreneurial training with the International Trade Centre of Geneva (ITC)
Upon their pre-selection, they join the “African Builders” network, a dynamic community of entrepreneurs serving the development of the African continent.

Eligibility Criteria

You can participate in the Pierre Castel Prize 2025 if:

You are an entrepreneur operating in these sectors:
- New technologies applied to agriculture and the food industry Sustainable and
- resilient methods (precision agriculture, agroecology, bio conservation, water management, resource recovery, renewable energies, etc.)
- Digital solutions facilitating market access, traceability and logistics
You are between 18 and 45 years old
Your business legally exists and has been in business for at least one year
You have a development project including a measurable social, economic and environmental impact on your ecosystem
You are a national of one of the countries covered by this edition and you reside there. (Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Democratic Republic of Congo)

Evaluation Criteria for Pierre Castel Prize

National juries evaluate applicants’ applications according to the following criteria:

The innovative nature of the project and its potential to transform food systems
The entrepreneurial spirit
The match between supply and the need identified in the territory
The entrepreneur’s experience in his sector of activity
The level of maturity of the activity
The potential for development in local and international markets
The entrepreneur’s contribution to the country’s sustainable development challenges
The quality of the submitted file

The Grand Jury’s evaluation criteria:

Leadership and the ability to inspire as an ambassador of the Prize on the pan-African scene
The entrepreneurial spirit and strategic vision to develop your project on a large scale
The innovative nature of the project and its potential to transform food systems at the national and regional levels
The impact and resilience of the project in the face of economic, social and environmental challenges
The potential for development in local and international markets
The ability to mobilize partners and bring together a network of key players to accelerate its expansion
The quality of the presentation and the ability to defend one’s vision in front of major stakeholders

How To Apply for Pierre Castel Prize

All documents listed below are mandatory. Incomplete applications or applications that do not meet the indicated criteria will be rejected by default. The application can only be completed in French or English.

A copy of your identity document
A CV
A balance sheet or operating account for the 2024 financial year
An official document certifying the legal existence of your business
A presentation file for your company
- Presentation of the project leader(s) (background, ambition, motivation)
- Presentation of the company (date of creation, legal form, governance, number of employees, offer, environment, market, customers, distribution, marketing, etc.
A detailed presentation of the development project to be supported (business plan, value creation and expected impact)

Click Here to Apply

Application Deadlines

Various (according to countries):
- May 15 2025 for Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon and Lubumbashi
- May 18 2025 for Ivory Coast
- May 26 2025 for the DR Congo
- May 30 2025 for Madagascar