The AYuTe Africa Challenge Nigeria is an enterprise development program initiated by Heifer International and implemented by Wennovation Hub to identify, nurture, and support innovative, relevant and technology-driven agric-centric enterprises to grow, scale and thrive. The AYuTe Africa Challenge Nigeria is an enterprise development program initiated by Heifer International and implemented by Wennovation Hub.

Candidates should be early-stage or growth-stage youth-led agritech businesses/companies with innovative solutions impacting smallholder farmers at scale.

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must:

• Be aged 18-35 by the closing day of submission to the AYuTe Nigeria challenge
• Be a youth with innovative ideas focusing on the agriculture sector
• Have ideas that are proven to solve social problems and are implementable, technically feasible, economically sound (affordable), and environmentally smart (eco-friendly)
• Hold Nigerian nationality with official ID (national identity card, international passport, or permanent voters’ card)
• Produce financial statements for the venture
• Be the founder or co-founder of the enterprise represented in the competition and play an active role in its operations and leadership
• Have no criminal record related to corruption, tax evasion, financial impropriety, felony or other offences
• Have the potential for partnership and collaboration with other actors/stakeholders

The company must have:

• Been registered/incorporated with the relevant government agencies in Nigeria
• The ability to scale and impact a large number of smallholder farmers, including recorded evidence of demonstrated impact on smallholder farmers’ revenue and/or operations
• The potential for job creation and poverty reduction
• Alignment with relevant national policies and international treaties (e.g., SDGs)
• An identifiable technological innovation that addresses the following problems for smallholder farmers:
  • Smallholder farmer productivity
  • Smallholder farmer income
  • Labour intensiveness of operations
  • Resilience
  • Access to information
  • Strong competitive advantage

Benefits

Challenge applicants can expect to receive the following benefits:

1. Coaching and mentorship, personalized to unpack training into business implementation for the top-5 finalists
2. Technical assistance at the various levels of the challenge to strengthen the MVP and the business and financial model of the start-up
3. Links to financial and investment opportunities
4. Networking opportunities to showcase your solution and meet with investors and other stakeholders
5. Cash prize awards of a total of $20,000 for the top three winners:
   • Winner: $10,000
   • First Runner-Up: $6,000
   • Second Runner-Up: $4,000

Timeline

• The application period will run from 17th July to 31st July.
• This will be followed by the identification of the top-10 agritech innovators and the second stage will identify the top-5 agritech innovators.
• The top three enterprises will be awarded cash prizes at a pitch and awards ceremony

Application Documents

Before you begin your registration, please have the following materials ready:

1. Soft copy of any National Official ID (national identity card, international passport, driver’s license, or temporary/permanent voters’ card)
2. Soft copy of a clear headshot photo

Application Deadline: 31st July 2023

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the AYuTe Africa Challenge Nigeria Program 2023

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