Submissions open for AYuTe Africa Challenge (Nigeria)

The challenge will run for three months, during which three agritech innovators to be awarded the top prizes (winner, first runner-up, second runner-up).

Funding Information

• Cash prize awards of a total of $40,000 for the top three winners:
  • Winner: $20,000
  • First Runner-Up: $12,000
  • Second Runner-Up: $8,000.

Additional 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

Eligibility Criteria

• 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 offences
  • 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

For more information, visit Heifer International.