Applications for the African Climate Innovation Challenge (ACIC) 2023 . ACIC is a project jointly developed and implemented by 3 E's 4 Africa, GAYO and Start.Up Lounge to focus on the innovative minds and projects of young Africans and to encourage and empower them to create a local impact in their communities. It is an ideas competition that challenges young Africans to come up with innovative and ecological ideas and helps them develop them into real solutions.
Young Africans apply with ideas to solve environmental problems with an entrepreneurial mindset. The 10 best concepts are selected as the ACIC Cohort. They will go through an online curriculum consisting of training and digital workshops, as well as P2P sessions between mentors and participants. This gives the teams the opportunity to work on and develop their ideas further. Those featured include environmental protection, climate change, social engagement, digital literacy, project management and business creation/management. The best teams will be invited to Africa Climate Week in Nairobi, where they will manage the pitch event.
benefits
- Up to US$ 15,000 in cash prizes for the three winning teams to directly implement their innovative start-up ideas in their communities.
- Tailor-made curriculum as well as dedicated peer-to-peer mentoring for all participants to further develop their start-up ideas.
- 3 months of incubation for all 10 selected teams to move beyond the ideation stage and turn their ideas into reality.
- Present your project during the African Climate Summit co-organised by the Republic of Kenya and the African Union Commission (AUC) in Nairobi.
Eligibility
- Before applying, make sure that your team and yourself are willing and able to commit to the ACIC programme.
- You must be a team of 2 to 6 people. We won't believe teams of less than 2 people and more than 6 people.
- Although it's not compulsory, they specifically want to encourage female-led teams and teams with 40% to 50% female participants.
- All members of your team must be of African descent and resident in Africa.
- Existing and officially registered start-ups will not be considered.
- The idea you are applying for must be centred on climate change mitigation and/or adaptation.
- All your team members must be between the ages of 18 and 35.
- All team members must have a good command of the English language.
- They also encourage women-led teams and teams with 40% to 50% women participants to sign up.
Application
By completing and submitting the application form and, if selected, you and your team (all listed) agree to fully commit to the ACIC programme by attending the online sessions as well as the ACIC face-to-face event in Nairobi, Kenya.
For more information, visit ACIC
