Who can apply
- Youth-led enterprises whose founder or CEO is under 35
- Women-led enterprises
- Formally registered businesses operating in an African Union Member State
- Enterprises that have operated formally for at least two years
- Enterprises employing at least three full-time staff
- Businesses working in one of the programme’s eligible sectors
- Growth-stage enterprises operating for two to five years
- Expansion-stage enterprises operating for five to ten years
- Scale-ready enterprises operating for at least ten years or demonstrating investor readiness
Focus areas
- Manufacturing
- Agro-processing
- Creative industries
- Information and communication technology
- Digital services
- Financial technology
- Health enterprises
- Logistics and transport
- Standards and certification
- Branding and marketing
- Export readiness and digital trade
- Intellectual-property protection
- Financial management and bookkeeping
- Business planning and investor readiness
- AfCFTA market intelligence
- Sustainability and responsible business practice
- Enterprise leadership and governance
Requirements
- Be a youth-led or women-led formally registered enterprise
- Operate in an African Union Member State
- Have operated formally for at least two complete years
- Employ at least three full-time staff
- Operate within an eligible product or service sector
- Select the fellowship tier matching the enterprise’s maturity
- Provide business registration and enterprise-profile information
- Provide information about revenue, employees, customers, financing and cross-border trade
- Prepare written responses describing the enterprise, its innovation, market challenge and fellowship objective
- Provide a view-only cloud-storage link to the enterprise’s pitch deck
- Ensure that all information submitted is accurate and verifiable
- Provide a bank statement, mobile-money statement or equivalent finance-verification document if shortlisted
- Provide passport copies if requested after shortlisting
Application steps
- Read the official call and programme concept note
- Confirm that the enterprise meets the leadership, registration, staffing and sector requirements
- Select the Growth, Expansion or Scale-Ready tier that accurately matches the enterprise
- Prepare the pitch deck and required enterprise, finance and market information
- Complete the official African Union online application form
- Submit the application before 30 September 2026
Global Grants Hub strategic note
This is a business-acceleration fellowship, not a cash grant. It is suitable only for formally registered youth- or women-led enterprises with at least two years of operations and three full-time employees. Strong applicants will demonstrate paying customers, market traction, reliable financial records and a clear cross-border growth objective. Select the correct fellowship tier and prepare a strong pitch deck. NGOs without formal business registration and applicants who cannot verify their claims should not apply.