The African Union Enterprise Africa Network (EAN) Fellowship Programme 2026/2027 for youth- and women-led small enterprises.

Application Deadline: 30 September 2026

Applications at the moment are open for the 2026/2027 African Union Enterprise Africa Network (EAN) Fellowship Programme. The Enterprise Africa Network (EAN) Fellowship Programme is an AUC Startup Acceleration Initiative and the African Union’s flagship programme for the event of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Implemented by the AU Commission’s Department of Economic Development, Trade, Tourism, Industry and Minerals (ETTIM), the programme supplies Africa’s most promising entrepreneurs with structured coaching, knowledgeable mentorship, mental property help, and direct market entry Opportunities throughout the continent and past.

Requirements

• The EAN Fellowship is open to youth- and women-led small enterprises which might be: registered and working in an AU Member State; formally registered as a enterprise entity; working for at the least two years; and using a minimal of three full-time workers.
• Applications are notably inspired from women-led enterprises and companies from underrepresented AU areas and small island Member States.

Benefits

• All fellows obtain: twelve months of structured coaching throughout ten modules differentiated by sector and tier; knowledgeable mentorship by African Union Partners, entry to the African Trade Observatory (ATO) and AfCFTA market intelligence instruments; and participation in continental occasions. Tier 1 and 2 fellows take part in digital market-entry periods throughout ten AfCFTA pilot nations; Tier 3 fellows take part in B2B matchmaking periods.

Fellowship Sectors

Cohort 2 covers seven sectors organised into two clusters aligned with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA):

• Products Cluster (items for intra-African commerce): Manufacturing, Agro-processing, Creative Industries
• Services Cluster: ICT/Digital, Fintech, Health, Logistics/Transport

Fellowship Tiers

Fellows are positioned into one in all three tiers primarily based on enterprise maturity. Training, mentorship, and market entry help are tailor-made to every tier. A minimal of 40 locations (40 % of the cohort) are reserved to make sure illustration throughout all 5 AU continental areas, with at the least 5 locations for enterprises from small island Member States.

Application Timeline:

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the African Union Enterprise Africa Network (EAN) Fellowship Programme