Youth Agrifood Innovation Challenge
PROGRAM OPPORTUNITY ADVERT: NOURISHNEXT WEST AFRICA 2026
Youth Agrifood Innovation Challenge
Organizers: Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) & Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement
Supporting Partners: Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), ECOWAS, and national partners across Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, and Senegal
Target Region: West Africa
Application Status: Open Now
About the Challenge
The NourishNext West Africa 2026: Youth Agrifood Innovation Challenge is a major regional initiative designed to discover, support, and scale high-impact, youth-led solutions. The program focuses on strengthening the fruit and vegetable agrifood value chain, improving community access to nutritious diets, and building resilient, nutrition-sensitive food systems across West Africa.
Key Focus Areas
The challenge targets innovative solutions operating beyond the farmgate, including:
Post-Harvest Management & Storage: Minimizing post-harvest loss and preserving nutritional quality.
Processing & Preservation: Value-addition, food safety, and shelf-life extension techniques.
Packaging & Supply Chain Logistics: Efficient transportation, sustainable packaging, and cold-chain solutions.
Market Access & Distribution: Novel commercial routes connect growers directly to consumers and retailers.
Retail & Consumer Demand: Driving consumption and affordability of fresh, nutrient-rich produce.
Digital Tools & Platforms: Technology-driven solutions for agrifood system coordination, intelligence, and commerce.
Eligible innovations can include physical products, emerging technologies, business services, business model innovations, supply chain enhancements, or digital platforms.
Eligibility Criteria
Who Should Apply
Age Requirements: Young innovators aged 18–35 years (extended up to 40 years for female-led enterprises).
Geographic Focus: Applicants residing in West Africa or delivering solutions explicitly tailored to the region.
Stage of Innovation: Must have reached at least Proof of Concept (PoC) stage. Open to solutions at PoC, Minimum Viable Product (MVP), pilot, early market, or scaling stages.
Technical & Commercial Viability: Must demonstrate technical feasibility, a strong value proposition, and address a clear bottleneck in the agrifood value chain.
Ineligible Proposals
Purely conceptual ideas without a functional prototype or Proof of Concept.
Traditional business models lacking distinct innovation or measurable nutrition impact.
Projects outside the fruit and vegetable value chain.
Benefits of Participation
Regional Visibility: Exposure across ECOWAS member states and global partner networks.
Scaling & Technical Support: Dedicated resources to help refine, pilot, and expand your market footprint.
Ecosystem Access: Connect directly with investors, national policymakers, and agricultural experts across Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, and Senegal.
How to Apply
Empower your venture and drive agricultural transformation across West Africa.
