The Social Innovators Programme (Africa)

LEAP Africa’s Social Innovators Programme (SIP) is an accelerator fellowship that empowers young changemakers through a holistic approach to building their capacity, connections and credibility. It was borne out of the understanding of the challenges faced by most young social enterprises faced with challenges such as early-stage funding, resource and connection deficit that hamper their growth and sustainability. They serve as bridge builders between impact investors and social enterprises.

What kind of sessions should I expect as part of the program?

• The Social Innovators Programme is designed to build capacity, connections and credibility for social innovators. This is achieved through a 5-day physical enterprise sustainability workshop, virtual Coaching and networking Calls; Immersive one-on-one Mentoring session; Monthly virtual webinar sessions and site visits.
• All sessions are mandatory, exemption from a session must be made with prior notice to the SIP team. Full participation in these sessions would determine graduation from the fellowship.
• There may be occasional optional sessions that highlight special and or timely opportunities. In total, participants can expect to dedicate an average of 12–14 hours per month over the course of the fellowship.

Eligibility Criteria

• All of the following eligibility criteria must be met by applicants in order to be accepted into the Social Innovators Programme.
  • Citizenship/Residency:
    • You must meet one of the criteria below:
      • You are a citizen of an African nation OR
      • You are a permanent resident of an African nation.
  • Geographic Focus: Your current and future enterprise is geographically located in a local community in an African nation.
  • Leadership Experience: You have founded or co-founded a social venture(s) with at least one (1) year of impact.
  • Age: You will be between 18 – and 35-years-old on February 20th, 2023.
  • Language Proficiency: You are professionally proficient in English (spoken and written). applications must be completed in English.
  • Program Commitment: You can commit to fully participating in the entire duration of the program between February 20th and October 26, 2023, which may include an in-person site visits in late June or early July, and up to 12 hours of virtual learning per month.
  • Applicants must be the founder or co-founder of a venture that has not previously participated in the LEAP Africa Social Innovators programme, and only one co-founder per enterprise may apply.
  • Participants should have no more than three absences in order to complete the program and graduate from the fellowship.

Ideal Candidate

• The ideal candidate is the founder or co-founder of a social enterprise or social innovation. One who has a clear idea of the problem being solved.
• The ideal candidate is focused on providing a lasting, and sustainable solution to the problem(s) being tackled. has come up with an INNOVATIVE solution and is willing to scale this innovation into an enterprise.
• The ideal candidate has demonstrated that their work/enterprise has had a measurable impact in advancing progress on the problem being solved.
• The Ideal candidates demonstrates respect and inclusion to other candidates irrespective of gender, nationality, education levels, races, or religions. They are eager to collaborate and share opportunities with others. Ideal candidates are open to learning from others, regardless of their experience level. They bring curiosity and an open mind and are willing to share their experiences and knowledge with their cohort.

For more information, visit LEAP Africa.