Apply for 2017 Africa Energy Ideas Competition! Deadline: 20 May 2017

Apply for 2017 Africa Energy Ideas Competition!

Deadline: 20 May 2017

Applications are open for the 2017 Africa Energy Ideas Competition that engage young professionals from Africa in developing innovative ideas with a focus on solutions that are sustainable, affordable and commercially viable to urgently tackle the African energy challenge.

The Competition is for early-stage business ideas. Across Africa, the key energy challenge is how to electrify millions of households, remote communities and small-scale entrepreneurs as quickly as possible.

Prize Information

Winners of the competition get the opportunity to:

• Present their ideas at the 2017 Nigeria Energy Forum, in Lagos, Nigeria.
• Benefit from unique networking opportunities with other young leaders as well as some of the most senior decision-makers in government, international development, academia and the private sector.
• Attend a range of business development workshops, receive support from a dedicated start-up incubator and a cash prize of up to $1,000.

Eligibility Criteria

• Young professionals between the ages of 18 and 35 years from Africa are invited to participate in the competition.
• Applications may be submitted by individuals or a team of up to three people.
• Teams may be formed across different schools, institutions, companies, countries etc.
• Individuals or teams may submit multiple applications.

Evaluation Criteria

The first round of submissions will be evaluated using the following attributes:

• Significance: alternative energy services for powering agriculture, education, healthcare, MSMEs etc.; and be significant enough to impact large numbers of people, households and/or businesses.
• Originality and creativity: present solutions that are original, creative in areas that are either underdeveloped or severely underdeveloped in research and literature.
• Feasibility: submissions should be realistic, practical rather than just theory, cost efficient and outline commercial arrangements that address obvious roadblocks, using a specific case study.
• Clarity: ideas should be presented in a clear and concise manner.

How to Apply

Applications submitted (not exceeding 1-side of an A4 page) should include the following:

• Project Title
• Your solution
• Authors
• Expected impact
• Short abstract
• Are there similar examples?
• Problem Statement

Eligible Countries: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the, Cote d’Ivorie, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

For more information, please visit Africa Energy Ideas Competition.