Association Burkinabè de Fundraising

Are you a young African entrepreneur who has developed an innovative solution with a proven positive impact on achieving the SDGs on the continent? If so, then apply now for the Africa Youth SDG Innovation Award.

The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), through its Sub-Regional Office for Southern Africa (SRO-SA), is joining forces with the African Youth Summit on the SDGs and AfriLabs to highlight the innovative potential of young African entrepreneurs.

The award aims to recognise and reward the outstanding efforts of young entrepreneurs, who have successfully developed an innovation to solve a specific development problem for businesses, governments, households and communities that has an impact on achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Benefits

• The 6 winners will be invited to present their innovation at the African Youth Summit on the SDGs to be held in Lusaka, Zambia, in August 2023. All travel expenses will be borne by ECA.
• The winners will also be invited to participate in person in an innovation training course that ECA SROSA will organise for small and medium-sized enterprises in 2023-2024. The cost of attending in person will be covered by ECA.
• ECA SRO-SA will also sponsor the cost of their travel to and participation in the Africa Tech Festival in Cape Town, South Africa, from 14 to 16 November 2023.

Eligibility criteria

• The Africa Youth SDG Innovation Award is open to:
  • any person of African nationality aged between 18 and 35 on 31 December 2022
  • has designed an innovative product or devised an innovative process to solve a specific development problem for society, with a demonstrated impact on achieving the SDGs. The innovation may have been commercialised or be about to be commercialised.
  • The innovative product or process must be original and have been developed no earlier than 31 December 2016.

For more information, please visit UNECA .