Call for Applications: Support for Environmental Initiatives in the Congo Basin

Goals

• The OIF’s intervention for the benefit of the Congo Basin countries over the period 2024-2027 aims to support and encourage women or young people who bring eco-innovative solutions contributing to solving the challenges relating to the preservation of environment, food security, the effects of climate change and the sustainable management of natural resources in the Congo Basin.
• More specifically, within the framework of this call, the specific objectives are as follows:
  • Select at least one incubator per Congo Basin country to identify young innovators and support them;
  • Build a vibrant community of French-speaking eco-innovators capable of bringing out increasingly mature solutions to the environmental challenges of the Congo Basin.

Support Offer

• The selected incubators will benefit from financial support from the OIF to support young innovators. Each incubator will be responsible for identifying, accompanying and supporting between 20 and 50 young innovators per year, depending on the objectives and budget defined by the OIF.

Eligible Countries

• The list of countries eligible for the call for applications is as follows: Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo and Republic of Congo.

Mandate

• The incubators will select young people and women to perfect their innovation and scale it up and then support the young people for the commercialization phase. Beneficiaries must be selected following a review of their idea, solution, innovation or emerging project with development potential. The incubators will thus have the mission of sheltering or training these young people in entrepreneurship and the development of an economic model. They will advise and support them to develop their innovative projects, and possibly support them in the search for financing.
• The selection of young eco-innovators will be done in close consultation with the OIF which will sit on the jury whose mandate will be to select the best candidates.

Selection Criteria

The incubators will be selected according to the following criteria:

• Knowledge of local realities and eco-friendly needs innovation;
• Ability to identify and support women or young carriers environmental technologies or innovations;
• Experience in grantmaking and reporting technical and financial;
• Ability to support the marketing of innovations or technologies developed locally by women or young people;
• Ability to mobilize various stakeholders in an innovation ecosystem such as public or government actors, universities or research centers, investors, mentors or successful entrepreneurs, support providers (lawyers, accountants, consultants, etc.);
• Commitment to actively participate in sustainable development and promotion of environmental solutions.

For more information, visit International organization of Francophonie (OIF).