Deadline: November 15, 2025
Innovate Ghana, Innovate Labs, and StArfrica are launching the Innovation Challenge 2025, inviting Ghanaian thinkers, makers, and entrepreneurs to imagine and prototype energy solutions addressing urgent energy challenges shared between Ghana and Germany, aiming to build cleaner, more resilient, and equitable energy systems locally and globally.
The innovation challenge focuses on six key areas: Decentralized Renewable Energy Systems including offgrid solar, microgrids, hybrid systems, and community or cooperative energy models; Energy Storage and Grid Resilience focusing on affordable, locally sourced battery solutions and smart grid systems for urban and rural contexts; Sustainable Cooking Technologies offering electric, solar, or biogas-based alternatives to biomass; Energy Efficiency in Buildings and Industry emphasizing passive cooling, low-cost insulation, smart devices, and circular materials for construction; Green Mobility and EV Infrastructure promoting low-cost electric mobility for urban and rural areas and innovative EV charging models; and Waste to Energy Solutions encompassing thermochemical processes such as incineration, combustion, gasification, and pyrolysis, biochemical methods like anaerobic digestion of organic waste, and landfill gas recovery.
The global energy landscape is rapidly transforming as climate change intensifies and energy demands escalate worldwide. Nations including Ghana and Germany face overlapping challenges such as integrating renewable energy into national grids, enhancing energy efficiency in residential and industrial sectors, expanding access to clean cooking solutions, and ensuring equitable access to modern energy services. Germany, known as a global leader in renewable energy, contends with the complexities of managing decentralized energy flows and maintaining grid stability. Simultaneously, Ghana grapples with energy access gaps, unreliable grids, and a dependence on fossil fuels and biomass.
In response to these shared challenges, the Innovate Ghana x Innovate Labs x StArfrica Innovation Challenge 2025 calls upon Ghanaian innovators to develop bold, locally grounded, and globally scalable energy solutions that can serve both Ghanaian and German contexts. The challenge is open to Ghanaian individuals, startups, student teams, academics, researchers, and early-stage businesses. Team participation is limited to a maximum of three members, all of whom must have a bachelor’s degree or TVET certificate to validate their experience in innovation. While teams must be based in Ghana, collaboration with international partners is encouraged.
Finalists of the challenge will have the unique opportunity to relocate to Germany and collaborate with the University of Koblenz and affiliated partners to further develop their ideas. Preference will be given to concepts demonstrating feasibility, impactful potential, and replicability in both countries. The timeline includes an open call for submissions from October 15 to November 15, 2025, followed by a kick-off workshop in Accra, mentorship and prototype development phases, and culminates with a final pitch event in January 2026 where winners will be announced.
Support mechanisms for finalists include mentorship from leading energy experts, engineers, and business coaches based in Ghana and Germany, alongside technical assistance to help develop and test prototypes courtesy of the University of Koblenz and Innovate Labs. Winners will also gain entry into the EXIST Startup Grant Program in Germany, supported by funding up to 10,000 Euros, stipends, mentoring, and access to startup infrastructure for one year.
For aspiring innovators, submissions are to be made online by 11:59 PM GMT on November 15, 2025. Prospective participants can join a kickoff event on October 21, 2025, from 12 to 2 PM GMT to learn more and register. This initiative aims to harness innovative energy solutions to power a sustainable future across continents, particularly benefiting Ghana and Germany.
For more information, visit Innovate Ghana.
