Kofi Annan Award for Innovation in Africa 2021

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) Innovation Accelerator sources, supports and scales high-impact innovations to achieve Zero Hunger. Based in Munich, Germany, we provide WFP employees, entrepreneurs and startups with funding, hands-on support and access to WFP’s global operations. Through the Innovation Accelerator, WFP is leveraging unprecedented advances in digital innovation—such as mobile technology, artificial intelligence, big data and blockchain—and new business models to transform the way we serve vulnerable communities across the world.

Building on WFP’s legacy of innovation, the Innovation Accelerator was launched in 2015 to pilot new solutions and scale promising innovations to disrupt hunger. In just five years, we’ve supported more than 80 projects around the world, with 14 innovations scaling up to reach 3.7 million people. In 2020, we were one of 10 organizations worldwide to be named in Fast Company’s 2020 awards: “Best Workplace for Innovators” and “Innovation Team of the Year.” In 2021, we were recognized again by Fast Company as one of its Most Innovative Companies for 2021. Globally, the World Food Programme has been awarded the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize “for its efforts to combat hunger, for its contribution to bettering conditions for peace in conflict-affected areas and for acting as a driving force in efforts to prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war and conflict.”

Deadline extended: 1 December 2021

Apply to receive up to 250,000 Euros in grants, intensive training in our Innovation Bootcamp and hands-on support from a strong network of mentors, investors and business partners. The programme will take place in English only.

We invite all African social entrepreneurs and purpose-driven enterprises with digital healthcare solutions and a measurable social impact to apply for this pan-african Award for Innovations. With your application for the Kofi Annan Award for Innovation in Africa you will get the chance to

win up to EUR 250,000 in grants as a finalist and attend a 12-month accelerator program
participate in a 5-day innovation bootcamp
present your solution to a distinguished jury
network with mentors, investors and potential business partners
gain international exposure

Let us connect African, European and Austrian entrepreneurs to scale up and boost the social impact of innovative digital solutions.

With the Kofi Annan Award for Innovation in Africa, the Austrian Federal Chancellery, together with well-renowned partner organizations, is looking to support innovative and digital healthcare solutions across Africa and boost their impact.

The Call will be open to African social entrepreneurs and purpose-driven enterprises with a measurable social impact and sustainable business model. The focus of the first edition of the Kofi Annan Award for Africa will be on Sustainable Development Goal 3: Good Health and Well-Being.

Funding

Social Enterprises that are accepted to the Innovation Bootcamp will have the opportunity to pitch to a high-level jury that will determine which 3 teams will each receive a grant of 250,000 EUR from the Austrian Development Agency.

Visibility

Finalists will gain international recognition and exposure.

Innovation Bootcamp

9 social enterprises will be accepted to participate in a fully virtual WFP Innovation Bootcamp, where they will benefit from the chance to work with technical and industry experts, who will provide guidance to further develop and refine their solutions.

Networking

Selected teams will be able to connect with an entrepreneur ecosystem and leverage a strong network of mentors, investors and business to accelerate implementation.

Hands-on Support

The 3 winning teams will additionally benefit from the WFP Sprint Programme, a 12-month acceleration programme with access to mentorship, knowledge management and WFP’s global network of partners.

The Set-Up of the Kofi Annan Award for Innovation in Africa

The Austrian Federal Chancellery is inviting African social entrepreneurs and purpose-driven enterprises with a measurable social impact and sustainable business model to apply in order to bring their social impact to scale and benefit as many Africans as possible.

Nine candidate teams will be selected to further develop their solutions in the 5-day intensive Innovation Bootcamp and consequently pitch their solutions in front of a high-level jury.

Alongside this, candidates will further benefit from the Support Network of the Kofi Annan Award for Africa – a community of passionate and engaged mentors, investors, consultants, corporate partners and industry experts who share one goal: to help social entrepreneurs get access to the right resources at the right time.

How we select innovations

Innovations will be evaluated and selected according to the following criteria:

Impact & Scalability: The idea has the potential to positively impact the health and wellbeing of a specific population.
Business Model: the project has a scalable product/service with sustainable revenue generation and scalable financial model.
Team: The team members have relevant experience, are committed to the project and ability to implement the solution.
Innovativeness: The idea is a new technology, the approach of applying existing technology, process or business model addressing a problem.
Traction: The innovation has shown demonstrable results in terms revenue, customers, investments, or grants.

Partnerships

The Kofi Annan Award for Africa is organized by the Austrian Federal Chancellery, together with the Kofi Annan Foundation and the operational support of the World Food Programme Innovation Accelerator and the Austrian Development Agency.

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