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Young Africa Innovates Programme

About the opportunity:

The Young Africa Innovates Programme takes young innovators from an early idea to a working business over about a year. It is open to ideas in any sector, as long as they address a real problem.

The programme runs in five stages. You apply and tell the organisers about yourself and your idea. Applications are then reviewed and selected innovators go forward. Next, you take part in training and mentoring in your state, then you build and test your solution with hands-on support during incubation. Finally, you get help reaching customers and markets.

Applications are checked for your age and state of residence first. The organisers then read your idea and the problem it addresses, consider your own experience of that problem, and weigh whether the solution can work and grow. Only applicants who go through to the next stage are contacted. The programme suits young Nigerians in the participating states who have an early idea or prototype and want structured support to develop it.

Who can apply:

Nigerians aged 18 to 35
People who live in Abia, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Katsina, Niger, Plateau or Taraba state
People with an idea or innovation that addresses a real problem
Applicants from any sector

What you get:

Training to improve your idea
Mentoring from people who can advise you
Incubation and hands-on support to develop and test your solution
Access to financial support, including grants at relevant programme stages
Support to reach customers and markets

Official link: Use the Apply button on this page to go straight to the official application. Always confirm the latest details and requirements on the programme's official page before applying.

Tip: Before you apply, write down the real problem you want to solve and your own experience of it, since reviewers look at both.

Reminder: Use the "Never miss this deadline" box at the top of this page to add the deadline to your Google Calendar or Apple / Outlook calendar, so you don't miss it.