WE4F Innovation Call

Does your innovation contribute to producing more food and to the sustainable use of natural resources?

Do you want to scale up your innovation?

Apply to the Water and Energy for Food call for innovation in West Africa and benefit from personalized support to help you achieve your growth objectives.

WE4F in West Africa

The increase in food needs correlated with climate change implies turning to a more sustainable food production system integrating the efficient use of resources such as water and energy.

The Water and Energy for Food (WE4F) program in West Africa aims to support innovators in the following nine countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, and Togo.

The innovations sought will help boost food production and increase the income of small-scale farmers by contributing to water and energy savings and environmental protection.

The main objectives of the WE4F West Africa cluster are:

• The large-scale dissemination of environmentally friendly and water and energy-efficient innovations for the different stages of the agri-food value chain;
• The strengthening of technical and commercial skills of entrepreneurs to allow an increase in their turnover;
• Facilitating access to financing mechanisms for entrepreneurs;
• Improving the effectiveness of public policies and the legibility of frameworks to promote innovations in the agri-food sector;
• The exchange of experiences at different levels encouraging the sharing of lessons learned and success factors between entrepreneurs but also with other professionals

Eligibility Criteria

To apply, you must meet the following eligibility criteria:

• Location: You must come from and operate in one of the nine West African countries concerned by the project, namely: Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, or Togo.
• Area of intervention: innovation in the field of water and/or energy applied to the agri-food value chains (production /conservation/processing/distribution).
• Duration of existence: You must have been in operation for at least 24 months.
• The number of employees: You must have at least 5 permanent employees.
• Formal existence: You must be able to provide a trade register and a fiscal existence (depending on the country’s designation).
• Annual turnover between US$ 14,200 and  $354,600

Benefits

• Technical and commercial support of up to 100M CFA francs (or the equivalent of EUR 152,000): Tailor-made technical and commercial capacity building over a 12-month period for the 15 selected innovators, adapted according to the needs identified during an in-depth diagnosis.
• Connecting with investors to boost scale-up: Participation in networking events and coaching to activate fundraising.
• International visibility and a regional network: international visibility allowing the promotion of the selected innovations and the construction of a real regional network, between the innovators, allowing the exchange of experiences.

WE4F Innovation Call