Nominations open for Pierre Castel Prize 2025

The Pierre Castel Prize is a pan-African competition that supports young talents who are driving sustainable development in their countries.

Initially focused on the agriculture and agri-food sectors, the Fund’s scope expanded in 2025 to include all stakeholders and levers of transformation of food systems, with a particular emphasis on innovation.

Funding Information

• The Pierre Castel Prize’s grants are a strategic lever for accelerating business growth and strengthening their impact on African food systems.
  • The Super Winner
    • 35 000€ financial endowment
    • A mentoring program
    • A personalized coaching program
    • One year of support as a PanAfrican ambassador for the Pierre Castel Prize
    • Business cards with the words “Super” Winner of the 2025 Pierre Castel Prize
    • Participation in the Residency program Entrepreneurial “African Builders”
    • Support for participation in international trade fairs
    • Pan-African media spotlight
    • Support for certification
  • The Six Winners
    • 25 000€ financial endowment
    • A mentoring program
    • A personalized coaching program
    • Business cards with the words ”Winner of the Prix Pierre Castel 2025’’
  • For All The Winners
    • Coverage of membership fees to  the Patronage of the country concerned
    • Factory tours
    • Connecting with potential partners and investors
    • Participation in Master Classes given by  employees of subsidiaries on key themes: communication, sales, marketing,product quality, inventory management and food safety
  • The finalist entrepreneurs of this edition will have access to certified e-learning entrepreneurial training with the International Trade Centre of Geneva (ITC)
  • Upon their pre-selection, they join the “African Builders” network, a dynamic community of entrepreneurs serving the development of the African continent.

Eligibility Criteria

• You can participate in the Pierre Castel Prize 2025 if:
  • You are an entrepreneur operating in these sectors:
    • New technologies applied to agriculture and the food industry Sustainable and
    • resilient methods (precision agriculture, agroecology, bio conservation, water management, resource recovery, renewable energies, etc.)
    • Digital solutions facilitating market access, traceability and logistics
  • You are between 18 and 45 years old
  • Your business legally exists and has been in business for at least one year
  • You have a development project including a measurable social, economic and environmental impact on your ecosystem
  • You are a national of one of the countries covered by this edition and you reside there. (Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Democratic Republic of Congo)

Evaluation Criteria

• National juries evaluate applicants’ applications according to the following criteria:
  • The innovative nature of the project and its potential to transform food systems
  • The entrepreneurial spirit
  • The match between supply and the need identified in the territory
  • The entrepreneur’s experience in his sector of activity
  • The level of maturity of the activity
  • The potential for development in local and international markets
  • The entrepreneur’s contribution to the country’s sustainable development challenges
  • The quality of the submitted file
• The Grand Jury’s evaluation criteria:
  • Leadership and the ability to inspire as an ambassador of the Prize on the pan-African scene
  • The entrepreneurial spirit and strategic vision to develop your project on a large scale
  • The innovative nature of the project and its potential to transform food systems at the national and regional levels
  • The impact and resilience of the project in the face of economic, social and environmental challenges
  • The potential for development in local and international markets
  • The ability to mobilize partners and bring together a network of key players to accelerate its expansion
  • The quality of the presentation and the ability to defend one’s vision in front of major stakeholders

Application Requirements

• All documents listed below are mandatory. Incomplete applications or applications that do not meet the indicated criteria will be rejected by default. The application can only be completed in French or English.
  • A copy of your identity document
  • A CV
  • A balance sheet or operating account for the 2024 financial year
  • An official document certifying the legal existence of your business
  • A presentation file for your company
    • Presentation of the project leader(s) (background, ambition, motivation)
    • Presentation of the company (date of creation, legal form, governance, number of employees, offer, environment, market, customers, distribution, marketing, etc.
  • A detailed presentation of the development project to be supported (business plan, value creation and expected impact)

Application Deadlines

• Various (according to countries):
  • May 22 : Burkina Faso, DR Congo (Lubumbashi)
  • May 23: Cameroon
  • May 26: DR Congo (Ecuador, Kasai, Kinshasa, Central Congo, Kwango, Kwilu, Maï-Ndombe, Mongala and South Ubangi)
  • May 30: Algeria and  Madagascar
  • June 2: Ivory Coast

For more information, visit Pierre Castel Fund.