UNITAR Empowering Youth and Women amid Economic Instability Programme 2026

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Do you have a business idea that could create positive change in your community or industry? The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) is pleased to invite applications for its new programme: Empowering Youth and Women Amid Economic Instability: Enhancing Public-Private Partnerships and Building Innovation Ecosystems for Sustainable Development in Africa.

Designed for young entrepreneurs, innovators, and women professionals, this programme will help participants transform promising ideas into practical, scalable solutions that address real-world challenges. Through expert-led learning, mentorship, and networking opportunities, participants will gain the skills and support needed to strengthen their projects, attract investment, and build meaningful partnerships.

Implemented by the UNITAR with the support of the Government and People of Japan, the Programme is designed not only to strengthen entrepreneurial and leadership competencies, but also to support participants in formulating practical, financially viable, and implementation-oriented projects that can engage public institutions, financial actors, ecosystem partners, and responsible private-sector stakeholders. Through structured mentorship, applied learning, ecosystem exposure, and international engagement opportunities, participants will progressively develop projects that are credible, collaborative, and positioned for operationalization and long-term impact.

The initiative contributes to building sustainable Africa–Japan relationships grounded in innovation, shared value creation, responsible investment, technology exchange, and inclusive economic transformation.

UNITAR Empowering Youth and Women Programme Learning Objectives

By the end of the Programme, participants will be able to:

Design innovative, inclusive, and sustainable business or development solutions aligned with national and regional priorities.
Apply digital technologies, AI, and emerging innovation tools to address challenges related to food security, climate resilience, employment, trade, healthcare, industrialization, and service delivery.
Develop operationally feasible and financially viable project concepts with clear implementation pathways and partnership strategies.
Strengthen leadership, negotiation, stakeholder engagement, and cross-sector collaboration competencies.
Integrate sustainability, gender equality, social impact, and SDG considerations into entrepreneurial and innovation initiatives.
Formulate partnership-ready and investment-oriented proposals informed by market realities and public–private collaboration principles.
Communicate project value propositions effectively to investors, development partners, public institutions, and private-sector stakeholders.
Build long-term professional networks and collaboration opportunities across African and international innovation ecosystems.

UNITAR Empowering Youth and Women Programme Benefits

As a participant, you will have the opportunity to:

Strengthen your entrepreneurship, leadership, and innovation skills
Explore how emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), can be applied to sustainable development challenges
Receive guidance from experienced mentors and industry experts
Develop investment-ready projects with potential for scale and impact
Connect with a diverse network of innovators and changemakers across Africa
Compete for the opportunity to participate in a study visit to Japan and engage with global stakeholders under the TICAD9 framework.

Content and Structure

The Programme will run from August 2026 to March 2027 through four progressive phases combining virtual learning, applied project development, mentorship, and international engagement opportunities.

Phase I – Foundations and Opportunity Development (August – October 2026)

Participants will receive foundational training in:

Entrepreneurship and innovation
AI and digital transformation
Leadership and systems thinking
Sustainable development and SDG integration
Market analysis and customer discovery
Business ecosystems and value chains
Introduction to partnerships, investment readiness, and collaborative engagement

Focus: Strengthening participants’ ability to identify real-world opportunities, understand market and development needs, and build solution-oriented concepts with practical relevance and growth potential.

Phase II – Applied Innovation and Project Development (Including ToT) (November – December 2026)

Selected participants will deepen their practical application skills through:

Business model refinement
Financial and operational planning
Project structuring and implementation design
Monitoring, evaluation, and impact measurement
Pitch preparation and communication
Partnership mapping and stakeholder engagement
Training-of-Trainers (ToT) components to support local knowledge multiplication

Participants will progressively transform their ideas into implementation-oriented and partnership-ready project concepts.

Focus: Developing scalable, credible, and financially viable initiatives capable of attracting collaboration and operational support.

Phase III – Leadership and International Engagement (January – February 2027)

A limited number of high-performing participants will participate in an advanced hybrid engagement phase, which includes a short immersion program in Japan.

Activities may include:

Mentorship sessions with industry and ecosystem experts
Exposure to innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems
Learning visits and institutional dialogue
Networking and strategic engagement opportunities
Project refinement and partnership discussions

Focus: Strengthening participants’ readiness to engage with international partners, investors, industry actors, and ecosystem institutions while advancing investment-oriented and implementation-focused project strategies.

Phase IV – Africa–Japan Innovation and Partnership Round Table (February 2027)

The Programme will conclude with a high-level dialogue and engagement platform that brings together participants, ecosystem actors, development partners, mentors, investors, and representatives from both the public and private sectors.
Selected participants will showcase initiatives, exchange lessons learned, and explore practical collaboration pathways for implementation and scaling.

Focus: Facilitating strategic connections, visibility, ecosystem collaboration, and long-term partnership opportunities.

Eligibility Criteria

The Programme is open to youth and women professionals aged 18–35 from the following Anglophone Sub-Saharan African countries: Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Applicants may include:

Aspiring or early-stage entrepreneurs
SME founders and innovators
Professionals and practitioners
Researchers and technology innovators
Social entrepreneurs and ecosystem builders
Individuals developing scalable solutions with economic or social impact potential

Participants working in, or aspiring to contribute to, the following sectors are encouraged to apply:

Agri-food Innovation and Bioeconomy
Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and Smart Digital Solutions
Fintech and Financial Inclusion
Clean Technologies and Strategic Resources
Climate and Environmental Solutions
Healthcare and MedTech
Sustainable Cities and Mobility
Blue Economy
Creative Industries
Light Manufacturing and Industrial Solutions
Skills Development and the Future of Work
Social Impact and Essential Services

Selection Criteria for UNITAR Empowering Youth and Women Programme

The Programme seeks motivated individuals with strong potential to translate ideas into practical impact. Particular consideration will be given to applicants who demonstrate:

Innovation and problem-solving capacity
Leadership potential and commitment to community or economic development
Clear project or business ideas with implementation potential
Openness to collaboration and partnership development
Commitment to learning, mentorship, and long-term engagement
Potential for scalability, sustainability, and measurable impact

Progression to subsequent phases of the Programme will be competitive and based on performance, engagement, leadership, and the quality and feasibility of the proposed project or initiative. Due to the high volume of expected applications, UNITAR and its partners will carefully review all submissions and select candidates with the strongest profiles and applications.

Additional Information

Language: English
Delivery Mode: Primarily virtual, with a limited in-person component for selected participants during Phase III
Certification: Certificates of completion will be awarded to participants who complete each phase
Fees: None. Participation is funded by the Government and the People of Japan. Selected participants for the Japan immersion phase may be responsible for limited personal expenses