11th Africa Energy Innovation Challenge (AEIC) 2026 (up to $10,000) – YOA

Deadline: September 10, 2026

Applications are open for the 11th Africa Energy Innovation Challenge (AEIC) 2026. The 11th Africa Energy Innovation Challenge (AEIC), organized by Nigeria Energy Forum (NEF), mobilizes younger, early-stage power entrepreneurs throughout Africa to develop, prototype and scale progressive units, gear and digital options for social enterprise, agribusiness, fintech and power administration utilizing domestically accessible assets. The Challenge connects younger innovators to high quality employment, entrepreneurship and funding alternatives, advancing Value Addition, Youth Innovation and Community Action throughout Africa.

Proposals are invited throughout 4 innovation tracks for early-stage power entrepreneurs from Africa, together with:

• Track 1: Powering Youth Employment & Green Jobs;
• Track 2: Energizing Agribusiness & Waste-2-Energy
• Track 3: Greening Local Manufacturing & Value Addition
• Track 4: Transforming AI & Connectivity.

Benefits

Winners of the competitors get the OPPORTUNITY to:

• Receive share of money prize grants of as much as US$10,000 to exhibit or scale the proposed resolution;
• Pitch their proposed prototype mannequin on the 2026 Nigeria Energy Forum, utilizing a poster and quick video;
• Benefit from distinctive networking alternatives with different younger professionals in addition to a few of the most senior resolution-makers in authorities, worldwide improvement, academia and the non-public sector; &
• Attend enterprise improvement workshops, trade mentorship & exhibitions valued at over US$15,000 and obtain help from a enterprise incubator.

Eligibility

• Open to younger professionals between the ages of 18 and 35 years from Africa;
• Applications could also be submitted by a staff of at the least three folks. Team composition MUST mirror gender stability, (comprising at the least 1 lady and 1 man).
• Teams could also be shaped throughout completely different colleges, establishments, firms, nations and so on.
• Individuals or groups might submit a number of purposes.

Your proposed prototype mannequin submission should not exceed 1- aspect of an A4 web page and may embrace the next:

• Project Title – Your resolution (250 phrases)
• Innovation Track – Expected influence (50 phrases)
• Short summary – (50 phrases)
• Design instruments and technique – (50 phrases)
• Problem Statement (50 phrases)
• Estimated prices and timeline (50 phrases)

Evaluation Criteria

The first spherical of submissions might be evaluated utilizing the next attributes:

• Local Content: make the most of native assets, exhibit use of native experience, different power companies or environment friendly options for powering agriculture, training, healthcare, industries and so on.; and be vital sufficient to influence massive numbers of individuals, households and/or companies.
• Originality and creativity: current options which are unique, artistic in areas which are both underdeveloped or severely underdeveloped in analysis and literature.
• Commercial Viability: proposed prototype mannequin must be reasonable, sensible reasonably than simply idea, value environment friendly, and description industrial preparations that deal with apparent roadblocks, utilizing a selected prototype mannequin.
• Youth Employment: concepts should hyperlink younger folks to high quality employment or entrepreneurship alternatives.

Application

• Submissions MUST not exceed the phrase restrict.
• Shortlisted submissions could be invited to take part within the remaining spherical by submitting on the AEIC webpage a 1-web page poster to summarize their design, with detailed funds, 2-web page Design Brief and a Short 2-minute video to pitch a prototype mannequin of the proposed resolution.
• Public vote on Video pitch might be held in Nov. 2026.

Click here to apply

For extra data, go to 11th Africa Energy Innovation Challenge.