$100K Pitch Competition Invites Young Africans with Fresh Business Ideas

ADDIS ABABA – A $100K Pitch YouthADAPT Competition invites Young Africans to bring innovative solutions and business ideas for climate change adaptation.

Applications for the second edition of the African Youth Adaptation Solutions (YouthADAPT) Challenge opens today.

The YouthADAPT is a joint initiative of the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Global Center on Adaptation and Climate Investment Funds.

It aims at addressing the triple impacts of Covid-19, climate change and the economy.

The Challenge looks for Young entrepreneurs between the ages of 18 and 35 with innovative solutions and business ideas.

Their ideas should have the potential to drive climate change adaptation and resilience across Africa, says the AfDB.

“The commercially viable business or product must not be in widespread use,” it added.

The entrepreneurs are to submit their business plans through the official submission portal.

Twenty winners will each be awarded $100,000 and will receive capacity-building training, mentorship and coaching.

Their venture must be youth-led and deliver solutions that address a real-life challenge.

They must be registered and operating in Africa, and able to show revenues for at least two years, the organisers say.

Their announcement also states 50% of the finalists will be women-owned or women-led enterprises.