UN FAO HASTEN Business Incubation Programme 2025 for Youth-led Enterprises in Lesotho, Rwanda & Sierra Leone – YOA

Deadline: June 27, 2025

Applications are open for the UN FAO HASTEN Business Incubation Programme 2025 for youth-led enterprises in Lesotho, Rwanda and Sierra Leone. This distinctive OPPORTUNITY helps the following era of meals techniques entrepreneurs and enterprises dedicated to constructing sustainable, inclusive and resilient agrifood techniques.

HASTEN—Harnessing SDG-based mostly Agrifood System Transformation by way of the Empowerment of the Next Generation of Agrifood Leadership in Africa— is an FAO venture underneath the Flexible Voluntary Contribution (FVC), working in Lesotho, Rwanda and Sierra Leone. It goals to:

• promote capability growth in transdisciplinary techniques pondering for Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) interlinkages,
• foster multistakeholder collaboration by strengthening public-non-public-tutorial partnerships for inclusive governance,
• and help agripreneurship and youth empowerment by scaling eco-inclusive enterprise fashions that contribute to the SDGs and generate employment.

Benefits

• Selected enterprises (8–10 per nation) will take part in a 5-day, in-person incubation workshop, designed to strengthen sustainable enterprise practices and help the expansion of eco-inclusive and socially pushed agripreneurship fashions. They will obtain tailor-made steerage to develop sustainable enterprise plans and monetary methods, using interactive workbooks and arms-on instruments, facilitated by worldwide and nationwide coaches.
• The closing day of every workshop consists of an ecosystem occasion, the place individuals will pitch their enterprise fashions and join with stakeholders from the private and non-private sectors, academia, and growth organizations, opening doorways to future collaboration and elevated visibility in the startup ecosystem.
• In addition, three enterprises per nation will likely be chosen for tailor-made comply with-up help centered on scaling their operations and constructing strategic partnerships.

Eligibility

The programme particularly targets SMEs and startups that meet the next standards:

• Legally registered in Lesotho, Rwanda or Sierra Leone;
• Operational for 1–3 years;
• Led by entrepreneurs aged 18 to 35;
• Demonstrate a transparent contribution to sustainable agrifood techniques transformation;
• Fully adjust to FAO integrity requirements and are usually not concerned in any UN prohibited or unethical practices.

They are particularly wanting for:

• Resilience boosting startups that improve the resilience of agrifood techniques to local weather change and different systemic shocks and stressors, by way of sustainable agricultural practices and local weather-sensible improvements.
• Safe and nutritious meals enterprises that produce or improve entry to wholesome, nutritious, secure and inexpensive meals, help meals high quality and security requirements and improve public consciousness round diet and nutritious diet decisions.
• Inclusive enterprise fashions that promote worth chain and livelihood alternatives for smallholder farmers, ladies and youth.

Application

• Shortlisted candidates will likely be contacted and will likely be invited to current their enterprise just about earlier than closing alternatives are made.
• Incubation workshops will likely be held in every nation from September – October 2025, with comply with-up help for chosen enterprises going down in October- November 2025. 

Click here to apply

For extra info, go to UN FAO HASTEN Business Incubation Programme.