In-Country YouthADAPT Challenge 2025 (Africa)

Africa is on the frontlines of climate change. From erratic weather disrupting agriculture to floods damaging critical infrastructure, the impacts are being felt across sectors—threatening livelihoods, mobility, and food security. They are calling on youth-led MSMEs to bring forward innovative, scalable, and locally relevant solutions that strengthen the country’s resilience to climate shocks. This Call for Solutions seeks bold ideas that address pressing adaptation needs in agriculture and infrastructure, in five countries with a focus on digital tools, green technologies, and community-driven models.

Challenge Statements

• Challenge Statement: Climate Adaptation Solutions for Ghana’s Tree Crop Sector
  • Ghana’s key agricultural value chains—cocoa, cashew, shea, coconut, oil palm, mango, and rubber—are increasingly vulnerable to climate change. Rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns, water stress, and shifting ecological zones threaten crop productivity and rural livelihoods. They are calling on younth-led MSMEs, agri-tech innovators, and MSMEs to design and scale climate adaptation solutions that respond to crop-specific climate risks and unlock new agricultural opportunities.
• Kenya Adaptation Needs
  • They are calling on younth-led MSMEs to develop innovative, scalable, and inclusive climate adaptation solutions that build resilience in Kenya’s agriculture and road infrastructure sectors, particularly in vulnerable regions like the Lesseru–Kitale and Morpus–Lokichar corridors.
• Challenge Statement: Climate Adaptation Solutions for Nigeria’s Livestock Sector
  • Nigeria’s livestock sector—covering poultry, cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs—is increasingly vulnerable to climate change. Rising temperatures, water scarcity, feed shortages, and disease outbreaks are reducing productivity, threatening food security, and deepening poverty for millions of livestock farmers. They are calling on younth-led MSMEs, agritech startups, and MSMEs to co-create innovative, climate-resilient solutions that build adaptation capacity, improve productivity, and create sustainable jobs in Nigeria’s livestock value chains.
• Rwanda Adaptation Needs
  • They are calling on youth-led MSMEs to develop innovative, scalable, and inclusive climate adaptation solutions that strengthen resilience in Rwanda’s agriculture and urban mobility systems.
• Tanzania Adaptation Needs
  • Tanzania faces mounting climate challenges in both agriculture and transport infrastructure. Farmers must adapt to unpredictable rainfall, water scarcity, and post-harvest losses, while the nation’s transport systems require innovative solutions to withstand heat, flooding, and erosion. They invite bold, tech-enabled, and community-driven ideas that empower Tanzanian farmers with climate-smart irrigation, digital advisory tools, and resilient market access, as well as solutions that strengthen the durability and sustainability of critical infrastructure.

Program Benefits

• Innovation Support
  • Up to $30,000 in funding plus dedicated mentorship from industry experts to develop and scale your climate solution.
• Dragon’s Den Pitch Event
  • Exclusive platform to present your solution to investors, partners, and stakeholders in a high-visibility national event.
• Accelerated Growth
  • 12-month comprehensive program with workshops, technical assistance, and milestone-based support to fast-track your growth.
• Networking Opportunities
  • Access to exclusive investor networks, partnership opportunities, and connections with fellow climate entrepreneurs across Africa.
• Investment Connections
  • Direct access to their partner investor network and opportunities for follow-on funding to scale your impact.
• Scale-Up Support
  • Comprehensive scaling assistance including strategic partnerships, market expansion guidance, and access to follow-on investment opportunities.

Eligibility Criteria

• They’re looking for innovative solutions that build resilience to climate change impacts. Here’s what you need to qualify, with priority given to entrepreneurs from their focus countries.
  • Age Requirement
    • Entrepreneurs must be between 18-35 years old at the time of application.
  • Business Registration
    • Your business must be legally registered to operate in an African country.
  • Revenue Generation
    • Business must have generated revenues over a minimum two-year period.
  • Business Plan
    • Must have a SMART business plan for your climate adaptation solution.
  • Impact Focus
    • Business must demonstrate direct impact in food security or infrastructure.
• While applications are welcome from across Africa, preference will be given to entrepreneurs from these strategic countries driving climate innovation.
  • Ghana
  • Kenya
  • Nigeria
  • Rwanda
  • Tanzania

For more information, visit Global Center on Adaptation.