ScholarshipTab
Menu

YOTA 2022 Youth Innovation Challenge for Young Africans

The Challenge aims to foster and nurture catalytic youth-led solutions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Challenge forms part of activities under the Africa Youth Partnership to Advocate an Equitable Recovery from the COVID-19 Pandemic.

YOTA (Youth Opportunity & Transformation in Africa) is supporting young innovators to drive change and contribute to post-pandemic recovery efforts through grassroots innovations and social action. This is to alleviate the negative consequences of the pandemic on young people and their communities while elevating the ideas, ingenuity, and creativity of young innovators working to address the effects of the global health crisis.

They are looking for the most talented young innovators from Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, and Nigeria to showcase their ideas on and proposed solutions for addressing the many challenges posed to the continent by the COVID-19 pandemic. They want to support youth innovation for the advancement of inclusive and equitable post-pandemic recovery efforts.

The thematic focus of the Youth Innovation Challenge cuts across several sectors, as long as a direct connection can be made to post-pandemic recovery potential. In particular, we are looking for youth-led solutions that address challenges in one or more of the following themes:

  • Agriculture and Fisheries
  • Biodiversity
  • Digitalisation, AI, and Emerging Technologies
  • Education and Skills
  • Employment
  • Energy and Industry
  • Finance, Trade, and International Investment
  • Gender
  • Governance and Politics
  • Health and Wellbeing, including Vaccines
  • Housing and Infrastructure Development
  • Local and Regional Development
  • Migration
  • Mobility and Transport
  • Tourism

About Youth Opportunity & Transformation in Africa (YOTA)

Youth Opportunity & Transformation in Africa (YOTA) is an ECOSOC-accredited NGO at the forefront of youth development policy, practice, and research in Africa. We are on a mission to create economic and social opportunities for Africa’s youth to transform their lives.

Youth Opportunity & Transformation in Africa (YOTA)


Subscribe for scholarship update!
Be among the first to know whenever new Youth Opportunity & Transformation in Africa scholarship is going on. Enter your email address and click the Subscribe button ↓

Youth Innovation Challenge

Application Deadline05 Aug 2022
TypeEntrepreneurs
SponsorYouth Opportunity & Transformation in Africa (YOTA)
GenderMen and Women

Aim and Benefits of Youth Innovation Challenge

Participants of the Youth Innovation Challenge stand the chance of receiving a mix of support to enable them to implement their solutions, including:

  • Up to $5,000 USD of funding per project.
  • Business development advice from top experts in the field of innovation and human-centered design.
  • Access to carefully curated tools and resources to support the full cycle of youth-led innovation and human-centered design.
  • Opportunity to become part of a growing community of young African innovators for ongoing learning, sharing, and networking.
  • Opportunity to be supported to showcase solutions across various international multi-stakeholder platforms, processes, and convenings before the end of 2022.

Requirements for Youth Innovation Challenge Qualification

Open to:

  • An individual young person between the age of 18 and 35; or an informal group of young people, or a local youth- or women-led organization or company (both non-profit or for-profit are welcome); female candidates or teams with predominantly female members are particularly encouraged to apply.
  • Nationals of Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, and Nigeria who are resident in their countries or based in the diaspora.
  • Persons who are passionate about using their skills to design innovative solutions to promote addressing the many socio-economic challenges posed to your country by the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Truly innovative and impactful ideas or solutions that have the potential to change lives in a sustainable way.

Interview date, Process and Venue for Youth Innovation Challenge

Judging Criteria

  • Fit to scope– Solution contributes to COVID-19 recovery efforts with a potential to disrupt
  • Business model – Solution clearly demonstrates a viable business model and scope for revenue generation
  • Sustainability – Solution is financially and operationally viable beyond the initial investment
  • Feasibility – Solution is viable and in the right direction
  • Value – Solution has a strong value proposition
  • Creativity – Solution is clearly an innovative approach to addressing the target challenge
  • Human centered – Solution is based on feedback from end users in order to solve a real problem for the community
  • Scalability – Solution can be easily scaled up and replicated beyond the initial scope

Note: The First Round submissions deadline is July 29, 2022. Announcement of shortlisted submissions will be made on August 12, 2022.


Application Deadline

August 5, 2022


How to Apply

Interested and qualified? Go to Youth Opportunity & Transformation in Africa (YOTA) on innovation2022.africanyouthpartnership.org to apply

For more details,visit YOTA website

Share this scholarship
Subscribe for scholarship update!
Be among the first to know whenever new Youth Opportunity & Transformation in Africa scholarship is going on. Enter your email address and click the Subscribe button ↓

Scholarships You May Like

Subscribe for scholarship update!
Be among the first to know whenever new Youth Opportunity & Transformation in Africa scholarship is going on. Enter your email address and click the Subscribe button ↓