YouthADAPT Challenge

The competition invites young entrepreneurs and Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) in Africa to submit innovative solutions and business ideas that can drive climate change adaptation and resilience across Africa.

The Youth Adaptation Solutions Challenge (YouthADAPT Challenge) is an annual competition and awards program for youth-led enterprises (50% women-led) jointly organised by the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA), the African Development Bank (AfDB) and Climate Investment Funds (CIF) as part of the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program YouthADAPT Flagship Program. This challenge seeks to boost sustainable job creation through support for entrepreneurship and youth-led innovation in climate change adaptation and resilience across Africa.

The competition invites young entrepreneurs and Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs) in Africa to submit innovative solutions and business ideas that can drive climate change adaptation and resilience across Africa. Winners will receive grant funding, capacity-building training, and mentorship to support their climate change adaptation innovation across their community and Africa.

The awards

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

Who can apply?

• Youth-led, with applicants aged between 18 and 35
• Delivering climate adaptation or resilience solutions addressing real-life challenges
• Legally registered and operating in Africa
• Able to show revenues for at least two years

What are we looking for?

The YouthADAPT Challenge is open to solutions (products, services, tools) targeted at climate change adaptation and increasing resilience. 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.