The AYuTe Africa Challenge Nigeria Programme 2023 for Early-stage Nigerian Start-ups
The AYuTe Africa Challenge Nigeria Programme 2023 is an enterprise development program initiated by Heifer International and implemented by Wennovation Hub that is geared towards producing financial and non–financial support to early–stage Nigerian Startups to enable them to become successful. The programme will provide entrepreneurs with access to tailored mentoring, market access, access to capital, technical assistance, and business connections.
The AYuTe Africa Challenge Nigeria is an enterprise development program initiated by Heifer International and implemented by Wennovation Hub to identify, nurture, and support innovative, relevant, and technology-driven agric-centric enterprises to grow, scale, and thrive. Candidates should be early-stage or growth-stage youth-led agritech businesses/companies with innovative solutions impacting smallholder farmers at scale.
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ELIGIBILITY CONDITIONS FOR THE AYUTE AFRICA CHALLENGE NIGERIA PROGRAMME 2023
In order to be eligible for the AYuTe Africa Challenge Nigeria Programme 2023, applicants must:
- Be aged 18-35 by the closing day of submission to the AYuTe Nigeria challenge
- Be a youth with innovative ideas focusing on the agriculture sector
- Have ideas that are proven to solve social problems and are implementable, technically feasible, economically sound (affordable), and environmentally smart (eco-friendly)
- Hold Nigerian nationality with official ID (national identity card, international passport, or permanent voters’ card)
- Produce financial statements for the venture
- Be the founder or co-founder of the enterprise represented in the competition and play an active role in its operations and leadership
- Have no criminal record related to corruption, tax evasion, financial impropriety, felony, or other offenses
- Have the potential for partnership and collaboration with other actors/stakeholders
THE COMPANY MUST HAVE:
- Been registered/incorporated with the relevant government agencies in Nigeria
- The ability to scale and impact a large number of smallholder farmers, including recorded evidence of demonstrated impact on smallholder farmers’ revenue and/or operations
- The potential for job creation and poverty reduction
- Alignment with relevant national policies and international treaties (e.g., SDGs)
- An identifiable technological innovation that addresses the following problems for smallholder farmers:
- Smallholder farmer productivity
- Smallholder farmer income
- Labour intensiveness of operations
- Resilience
- Access to information
- Strong competitive advantage
MERITS
Challenge applicants can expect to obtain the following benefits:
- Coaching and mentorship, personalized to unpack training into business implementation for the top-5 finalists
- Technical assistance at the various levels of the challenge to strengthen the MVP and the business and financial model of the start-up
- Links to financial and investment opportunities
- Networking opportunities to showcase your solution and meet with investors and other stakeholders
- Cash prize awards of a total of $20,000 for the top three winners:
- Winner: $10,000
- First Runner-Up: $6,000
- Second Runner-Up: $4,000
SCHEDULE
- The application period will run from 17th July to 31st July.
- This will be followed by the identification of the top-10 agritech innovators and the second stage will identify the top-5 agritech innovators.
- The top three enterprises will be awarded cash prizes at a pitch and awards ceremony
APPLICATION DOCUMENTS
Before you start your registration, please have the following materials prepared:
- A soft copy of any National Official ID (national identity card, international passport, driver’s license, or temporary/permanent voter’s card)
- A soft copy of a clear headshot photo
Application Deadline: 31st July 2023
The AYuTe Africa Challenge Nigeria Programme 2023 for Early-stage Nigerian Start-ups
