1.    Who can enter? (Eligibility)

This call for submissions is open to young and emerging agripreneurs, aged 18 and above based in a member state of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS).

To see if your country is an OACPS member state, check here.

Only projects submitted via the following link on Kobotoolbox are eligible.

 

2.    Do I need to pay anything to enter?

Participation in this competition is completely free of charge. The required e-learning courses are also offered at no cost to the applicant. No entry fees, subscription charges, or hidden costs apply at any stage of the competition.

 

3.    Who is this organised by?

This competition is organised by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH through its Agri-Business Facility for Africa (ABF) and Market-Oriented Value Chains for Jobs and Growth in the ECOWAS Region (MOVE-ComCashew) projects, both part of German Development Cooperation.

Together, these projects implement the Joint Action “Business Support Facility for Resilient Agricultural Value Chains”, a combined effort of the EU Directorate-General for International Partnerships (INTPA), Organisation of African Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) and German Government through the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

The Joint Action is jointly co-financed by the European Union under the Samoa agreement with OACPS and by the (BMZ) and implemented by GIZ.

 

4.    Can I submit more than one idea?

Each applicant may submit only one idea per submission window. In the case of multiple submissions using the same course certificate ID, only the  last complete and valid submission will be considered per window. Additional submissions using the same certificate ID will be disregarded.

5.    What happens if I’m not selected?

If your idea is not selected in the current submission window, don’t be discouraged. You are welcome to improve and resubmit your idea in the next round.

We won’t be able to contact all unsuccessful applicants individually, but all important updates, including future submission windows will be shared on the official website. We encourage you to continue learning through the Agribusiness e-Academy to strengthen your idea.

 

6.    Do I need to complete the courses to participate?

To participate, each applicant must complete all three mandatory Agribusiness e-Academy courses. The first two (Climate-Smart Agribusiness: Adaptation and Business
Model Canvas) can be completed in any order. Once both are finished, you’ll unlock the final course: Creating an Investment-Ready Agribusiness.

Only applicants who submit a valid certificate ID from the “Creating an Investment-Ready Agribusiness” course will be eligible. The certificate ID serves as proof that the full course pathway has been successfully completed.

Submissions without a valid certificate ID will not be accepted.

 

7.    Can I participate if I’ve already taken some of the other courses?

Yes, but to participate you must complete the three specific mandatory courses listed above. These courses are designed to prepare you to submit ideas in the eligible value chains (cocoa, maize, cashew, livestock: cattle, sheep, goats).

8.    How will I know if I’ve been selected?

Winners will be contacted via the email address linked to their atingi account. Winners to be announced towards the end of September 2026.

9.  What if I have an idea for another value chain?

Submissions must focus on one or more of the following value chains: maize, livestock (cattle, sheep, goats), cashew, or cocoa. Ideas outside these value chains will not be considered.

10. How will the winners be chosen

The evaluation process and selection criteria can be found under clause 6. Evaluation Process in the Terms & Conditions document.

11. Extra submission requirements:

You will not upload your AgriCanvas. Instead, you must enter your full AgriCanvas directly into the submission form by completing all relevant sections.

The submission form will also ask you to provide some short written information about your project:

• Describe the climate-smart or resilience component in your project
• Explain your revenue model (how your project will generate income)
• Estimate the capital required to start or scale your project

The submission form on KoboToolbox allows you to save a draft and return later, so you can take your time to complete these sections before final submission.