Are you a woman entrepreneur with a business that positively impacts the community? Apply for AWA Prize before 24 October 2022
Are you a woman entrepreneur with a business that positively impacts the community? Apply for AWA Prize before 24 October 2022
Enabel, a Belgian development agency, invites African women entrepreneurs to apply for the Awa Prize, a competition highlighting women entrepreneurs in Belgian development cooperation countries and their projects. The competition aims to celebrate women entrepreneurs who positively impact their communities through their businesses.
The competition awards entrepreneurs in four categories: startups, scale-ups, innovation, and people’s choice. Three entrepreneurs will be selected for each category to receive EUR 50,000 for first prize winners, EUR 10,000 for second prize winners, and EUR 5,000 for third prize winners to be spent on coaching based on their company’s needs. First-prize winners will be offered an opportunity to spend one week in Belgium networking in entrepreneurship circles.
Interested participants in the competition must fulfill the following:
- Be a woman of legal age in her country of residence
- Have a nationality of one of the participating countries
- Be a co-founder and/or non-minority shareholder of a company registered for at least one year in the participating country
To participate, visit Awa Prize Applications to register.
Does your business tackle climate change and environment challenges? Apply to win funding and mentorship from the Lead2030 Challenge before 21st October 2022
Does your business tackle climate change and environment challenges? Apply to win funding and mentorship from the Lead2030 Challenge before 21st October 2022
One Young World, a global community for young leaders in collaboration with Deloitte, a management consulting company invite young innovators to apply for the Lead2030 Challenge for the SGD13. Successful participants will receive a grant of USD 50,000 from Deloitte, sponsorship to participate in the One Young World Summit 2023, and 12 months of mentorship from a team of Deloitte professionals and partners. The Challenge seeks to support scalable youth-led solutions that:
- Reduce the impacts of climate change, and/or empower others to act on climate change
- Address root causes of the climate change
- Demonstrate ability to drive impact and potential to scale
- Collaborate with others to accelerate or broaden impact
- Utilize innovative approaches
Interested participants should have a solution that fits these criteria:
- Be evidently aligned with the SDG13 challenge
- Be founded by youth between 18-30 years of age
- Have a clear knowledge of key stakeholders, beneficiaries and reasonable proposed outcomes
- Have a positive impact such as generating educational incomes, creation of employment or developing skills
- Have an impact that can be adequately measured or be measurable
- Be able to achieve efficiency and survive independently through the resources they generate and/or the investments and donations they attract
- Be able to demonstrate potential to grow impact after expanding in scope or size and/or into other regions
- Must rely on proven or readily available technology (relevant to the solution)
To apply for the Challenge, visit: Applications
Bank of Kigali launched SME Center to serve Small and Medium Enterprises.
Bank of Kigali launched SME Center to serve Small and Medium Enterprises.
The SME Response Clinic spoke with Darius Mukunzi, Head of SME Banking at Bank of Kigali, about how the bank is currently serving small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Bank of Kigali is the largest commercial bank in Rwanda, serving more than 200,000 SMEs across the country. In July 2022, it launched the SME Center, a facility that provides tailored financial and advisory services to business owners looking to grow their enterprises.
To serve the segment, Bank of Kigali uses relationship managers and officers stationed at the SME Business Center and at each bank branch. These staff members are responsible for helping the bank to better understand SME customer needs, enabling Bank of Kigali to tweak products and services in line with those needs as they evolve in the market. Importantly, the Business and Credit departments within the SME Center work closely, which facilitates decision-making, thereby reducing the time it takes SME customers to obtain financial products from the bank.
Bank of Kigali also leverages government facilities to acquire new SME customers and provide loans to SMEs at favorable rates. The bank was involved in disbursing the government’s Renewable Energy Fund and is currently also participating in disbursing the Economic Recovery Fund (Hatana 2) and Export Growth Fund. Bank of Kigali is also working on a strategy to serve SMEs with non-financial services, planning to provide capacity building focused on topics like financial literacy for SMEs and taxation. The Non-financial services will also introduce Business Clubs and Supply Chain linkages in the near future.
Visit the Bank of Kigali’s SME Center in Kigali, CHIC Building, second floor, to learn more about the bank’s offer for the segment.
Are you a start-up with innovative solutions to climate adaptation and resilience challenges? Apply for funding in the YouthAdaptations Solutions Challenge before 4 October 2022
Are you a start-up with innovative solutions to climate adaptation and resilience challenges? Apply for funding in the YouthAdaptations Solutions Challenge before 4 October 2022
The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA), in partnership with the African Development Bank (AfDB) and Climate Investment Funds (CIF), invites applicants to the Youth Adaptation Solutions Challenge program. (YouthADAPT Challenge). The Challenge is an annual competition and awards program for youth-led enterprises seeking to boost sustainable job creation through support for entrepreneurship and youth-led innovation in climate change adaptation and resilience across Africa.
In this edition of the Challenge, 20 innovators will emerge as winners at an award show and will have access to post-award support in the forms of:-
- 100,000 USD grant for each winner
- Capacity Building and Training
- Mentorship and Coaching
Interested applicants should fulfill the following to apply
- Be youth-led, with applicants aged between 18 and 35
- Have innovations delivering climate adaptation or resilience solutions addressing real-life challenges
- Be Legally registered and operating in Africa
- Be able to show revenues for at least two years
Admissible solutions can represent:
- An adaptation solutions business that has not been scaled and is not in widespread use
- An existing resilience and adaptation solutions business or product
- A commercially viable means to raise awareness or scale uptake of specific adaptation solutions.
To apply for the Challenge, visit: Applications
Are you an innovative start-up tech company interested in securing funding? Apply for the Hanga Pitchfest before 17 October 2022
Are you an innovative start-up tech company interested in securing funding? Apply for the Hanga Pitchfest before 17 October 2022
The Government of Rwanda led by the Ministry of ICT and Innovation and the Rwanda Development Board invites applicants for the second edition of the Hanga Pitchfest. The event brings together angel investors, tech company founders, private sector business leaders, and key players in the creative industry and academia. Hanga Pitchfest seeks tech-enabled start-ups or high-growth start-ups that demonstrate potential to scale up through the use of technology.
Building on last year’s Pitchfest, the 2022 edition aims to provide a unique platform for tech entrepreneurs and creative talents in Rwanda to showcase and promote the use of technology and innovation in Rwanda’s market. Participants are given a platform to network with potential investors and business partners.
Successful participants in the Hanga Pitchfest will win the following cash prizes:
- USD 50, 000 for the top start-up
- USD 12, 500 for four runners-up
To apply, visit: Hanga Pitchfest 2022
Are you an agri-SME interested in accessing finance? Apply for the AgriXcel Programme before 3 October 2022
Are you an agri-SME interested in accessing finance? Apply for the AgriXcel Programme before 3 October 2022
The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), in partnership with the African Management Institute (AMI) and Aceli Africa, invites applicants for the AgriXcel Programme. The programme is designed to support ambitious agri-SMEs by linking them to finance lenders and equipping them with practical tools and resources to improve their financial practices.
During the six month programme, participants will gain skills in making data-driven decisions and improving financial management using AMI Business, a financial tracking and analysis app, and implementing best practices for business growth, including financial analysis, leadership and governance, strategic business planning, customer management, markets, and streamlining operations. Participants will also gain linkages to financial service providers offering relevant financing as well as access peer learning and opportunities for collaboration.
Interested applicants must fulfill the following to apply:
- Be based in Rwanda, Tanzania, Kenya, or Uganda and interested in finance in the next 6-12 months
- Have generated revenue between USD 30,000 and USD 1,000,000 in the last financial year
- Be operational for more than two years
- Have at least two full-time employees
- Be willing to participate online with access to a smartphone, laptop, and internet connection
- Be willing to share financial/performance data as part of the financial goal tracking and analysis for finance readiness
- Be agri-SMEs who buy/sell from small-scale farmers or SMEs involved in logistics, processing, and handling food crops produced by small-scale producers
- Main participant must be the CEO, Managing Director, Owner, or Founder of the business; this person must be an active participant in the programme
- Other participants must be senior leaders in the business capable of supporting the implementation of key practices
- Women-owned businesses are highly encouraged to apply
To apply, visit: AgriXcel Programme Application
Call for Africa Food Security and Resilience Partnerships
Call for Africa Food Security and Resilience Partnerships
Through the Prosper Africa initiative, the USAID Africa Trade and Investment (ATI) program invites applicants for the Africa Food Security and Resilience Partnerships grant opportunity. ATI seeks partners to work with USAID to scale access to and availability of agricultural inputs, technologies, and food that directly respond to the food security and resilience impacts of ongoing price and availability shocks associated with the Russian-Ukraine conflict.
Interested applicants are required to submit a concept note that works towards one or multiple of the following comprehensive objectives:
- Increased food security
- Support to established businesses, farming associations, and sourcing partnerships that can rapidly scale access to crucial inputs such as seeds and fertilizers
- Partnerships with companies to scale production of food crops critical to food security and nutrition across multiple markets
- Export deals for critical inputs to food insecure regions
- Facilitate trade deals that deliver food from areas of surplus to those of scarcity
- Resilience of food systems
- Transaction identification, facilitation, and deal structuring related to Africa’s resilience and food security
- Development of new financing solutions addressing issues of Africa’s resilience and food security to accelerate access to key inputs or food products and scale production of essential value chains
- Expand farmers’ access to technologies that reduce reliance on rain-fed agriculture, reduce post-harvest loss, and reduce/replace the use of diesel/fuel
- Strengthening and optimization of supply chains, such as through the use of technology and data to quickly drive decision making and respond to new resilience shocks
Shortlisted applicants will be sent a request for an application. Successful applicants will be offered grants ranging from USD 500, 000 – USD 5,000,000.
Apply before 31 March 2023.
For more information on the programme and application details, visit: ANNUAL PROGRAM STATEMENT
Are you a woman entrepreneur operating in the digital space and interested in growing your business? Apply for the eTrade Women Initiative Masterclass before 10 September 2022
Are you a woman entrepreneur operating in the digital space and interested in growing your business? Apply for the eTrade Women Initiative Masterclass before 10 September 2022
The eTrade for Women initiative led by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development invites participants for a Masterclass for women digital entrepreneurs. The Masterclass, which will be held in Lagos, Nigeria, is aimed at addressing the barriers women entrepreneurs face in leveraging business opportunities from digital technologies for growth. The Masterclass is organized in partnership with Damilola Olokesusi, Founder and CEO of Shuttlers and an Advocate for eTrade for Women.
Participants in the Masterclass will have an opportunity to engage with renowned business leaders and experts in their fields. The Masterclass will be a combination of inspirational talks, learning sessions, networking and policy dialogues. Interested applicants need to fulfil the following requirements:
- Be a woman founder of an e-commerce business, or of a company that uses digital technologies as part of its business model
- Have a business based in one of the following countries: Cameroon, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda
- Have a track record of 2 to 5 years in this role
- Have an intent to make a difference and impact your ecosystem
To apply for the Masterclass, visit: Applications
Apply for funding in the second phase of the Economic Recovery Fund (Hatana2)
Apply for funding in the second phase of the Economic Recovery Fund (Hatana)
Development Bank of Rwanda (BRD) and Business Development Fund (BDF) invite applicants for Hatana, the second phase of the Economic Recovery Fund. The Fund was launched on 18 May 2022 by the Government of Rwanda to support economic recovery for businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic through increased access to finance.
Through BRD, Hatana will provide much-needed funding to businesses that drive innovation, create employment opportunities, and prioritize Made in Rwanda in construction, agro-processing, textiles, and light manufacturing. The Fund is also expected to provide working capital loans to businesses that had at least a 20% reduction in sales for the past 12 months compared to pre-COVID-19.
The Fund will provide affordable financing through three windows:
- Investment (worth Rwf 150 billion)
This window will support businesses looking to expand or start a high-growth potential manufacturing business. Financing will be provided for fixed assets acquisition, operational expenditure related to building scale, and working capital.
- Working capital
This window is open to all sectors and will support your business in paying your employees and operating/fixed costs. It is meant to jumpstart production/operations after the economic slowdown caused by the pandemic.
- Refinancing (Rwf 37.5 billion)
This window will support the refinancing of existing loans in priority sectors determined by the Government of Rwanda via the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MINECOFIN).
For more information on the fund, eligibility criteria, and application details, visit: Hatana (ERF2)
Are you a social entrepreneur with a high-impact business? Apply for the Sankalp Global Awards before 7 July
Are you a social entrepreneur with a high-impact business? Apply for the Sankalp Global Awards before 7 July
The Sankalp Forum, an initiative of Intellecap, part of Aaviskhaar Group, invite applicants for the Sankalp Global Awards. The awards are part of the Sankalp Global Summit, an annual event that discusses global development and impact investing landscapes. This year’s edition of the awards seeks to celebrate social entrepreneurs who positively impact society, gain hands-on experience, and create innovative solutions with a global community. Interested applicants must have impactful social enterprises in Sankalp’s six impact areas, including agriculture, financial inclusion, health and wash, clean energy, livelihoods and future of work(ers), and affordable housing.
Successful applicants will benefit from the following:
- One-on-one investment readiness support to improve the pitch and investment ask
- Opportunity to pitch and get feedback from the eminent Sankalp Grand Jury and audience of investors
- Curated one-on-one introductions with global investors
- Collaborate with a global network of investors, donors, and entrepreneur support organizations
- Virtual exhibition space for your business to gain visibility and generate leads
Interested applicants must fulfil the following criteria to apply:
- Have a high-impact business that caters to rural, low-income, or disadvantaged communities in any of our 6 impact areas
- Have a clear for-profit business model with high potential for scale
- Have an experienced and dedicated promoter team
- Have some proof of concept on the ground that is generating revenues
- Are looking for funding in the range of USD 100,000 – USD 1,000,000
To apply for the Sankalp Global Awards , visit: Applications
