Green RISE West Africa Fellowship

The Green RISE Africa (Resilient Impact through Sustainable Entrepreneurship) Fellowship delivered by Acumen Canada (together with Acumen Fund, Inc. and its affiliates, “Acumen”) in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation is designed to equip women and youth living in poverty to build a more inclusive and sustainable green economy. Throughout the Fellowship, entrepreneurs gain practical tools, frameworks, and community to strengthen their leadership capacity, refine their business models, expand inclusive green jobs, and grow climate-aligned solutions across the region.

The Green RISE West Africa Fellowship is open to entrepreneurs working in Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and The Gambia who are driving climate solutions and solving problems of poverty by creating dignified work and green job opportunities for young rural women and youth.

What makes a Green RISE West Africa Fellow?

1. You want to get yourself and your impact to the next level.  You’re looking for people to support you on your journey. You have a bold vision for how your work can contribute to a more inclusive and sustainable green economy. You want to develop yourself as a credible and inspiring leader while strengthening the enterprise you are building.
2. You believe the opposite of poverty isn’t wealth, it’s dignity.  For you, dignity is about respect, recognition, and the right of every person to be heard, safe, and seen as capable of shaping their own future.  Your enterprise embeds that belief into how work is designed, how people are treated, and how economic value is shared. You are running a business or enterprise that contributes to a more inclusive and sustainable green economy by creating job opportunities for young rural women and youth.
3. You have a sense of urgency to make a contribution to Africa’s growing green economy.  You’ve grown impatient with the status quo – both within yourself and in the world. You are building a solution that creates both climate and economic impact and are searching for the tools and community to develop it.
4. You are ready to join a global community of peers who are passionate about solving problems of poverty and will walk alongside you. You want to connect with others who have been where you are and join a community to give and receive and where it’s okay to define success differently, and put people and the planet at the center.