FAQ

The Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation uses a two-stage application process. Applicants must submit their Stage 1 application through our Grant Management System by Tuesday 23 September 2025 to be considered for the second stage.

Upon passing the technical review, a long-list of applicants will be invited to complete the Stage 2 application on or before 28 October 2025. Stage 2 will focus on elements of the applicant’s business and the applicant will until 18 November 2025 (three weeks) to complete the form.

Find out more about how to apply

Entrepreneurs are invited to apply with innovations from any engineering discipline that can provide scalable solutions to local challenges.

Applicants should be in the early stages of commercialising an engineering innovation that:

• is accompanied by an ambitious but realistic business plan that has strong commercial viability
• has strong potential to be replicated and scaled up
• will bring social and/or environmental benefits to a country or countries in sub-Saharan Africa
• is based in, and will benefit, a country in sub-Saharan Africa.

The innovation can be any new product, technology or service, based on research in any field of engineering, including:

• agricultural technology
• biotechnology
• chemical engineering
• civil engineering
• computer science
• design engineering
• electrical and electronic engineering
• materials science
• mechanical engineering
• medical engineering.

If you have questions about whether your innovation would be considered as engineering, please contact the Africa Prize team to discuss your application at [email protected]

For more information, have a look at the Africa Prize interactive tool which showcases all current and previous shortlisted innovations. 

We do not accept:

• innovations that are still at idea stage
• innovations that are designed for military purposes or purely for economic gain. 

All Stage 1 applications are first checked for eligibility by Academy staff. Eligible applications will then be reviewed by two technical experts from the Academy’s network of engineers. All reviewers will commit to keep application information confidential. 

Reviewers will have expertise in the applicant’s sector, but may not be familiar with the African context, so applicants should ensure the application does not make assumptions in this regard and provides relevant detail as requested. The technical review will be scored on the technological viability and credibility of the engineering solution presented.

A longlist of candidates with the highest average scores will be invited to complete a stage 2 application. These applications will be sent to the Africa Prize judging panel who will assess the business viability and overall fit for the programme. 

The shortlisting process will consider:

• Adherence to all entry and eligibility requirements
• The relevance and viability of the engineering innovation
• The potential social, economic or environmental benefit of the innovation
• The extent to which the innovation can be replicated and scaled-up
•  The individual, or teams', entrepreneurial potential

Candidates may be contacted for further information that is required by the judges before they make their decision.

The Academy takes no equity stake, and you retain full ownership of your intellectual property. We understand concerns about sharing technical details, so all reviewers and judges are bound by confidentiality and conflict of interest agreements to protect your information.

For more information, please read the Academy's Privacy Policy on how we protect your data.

We recommend consulting with your legal advisor if you have specific concerns about information sharing.

Applications for the Africa Prize must be submitted in English. Applications submitted in any other language will be considered ineligible and will not be reviewed.

Though some support may be available in French, Africa Prize training will predominately take place in English, so it is important that shortlisted applicants have a good understanding of English. We do, however, encourage those with English as a second language to apply.

We encourage previous applications to submit a new application each year, using previous feedback provided by the technical reviewers and judging panel

Applicants are welcome to submit more than one application per round for different innovations.

No. Applicants who have made it to the shortlist in a previous round of the Africa Prize are not eligible to apply again. This is because they have already benefited from training and other opportunities while being part of the shortlist. Co-founder or other team members of the same innovation or business are also ineligible for the Africa Prize.

The Africa Prize is a hybrid programme.

Usually, the Africa Prize includes a week of in-person training in the UK, as well as an in-person final event on the African continent. Please note that if required to travel for a residential training week or event, the Academy will cover the related costs.

The remaining training and mentoring for the Africa Prize shortlist is carried out remotely (online), to allow you to continue to run your business so you do not need to spend a long time away from home.

The Africa Prize team will support applicants where possible to ensure an unstable internet connection isn't a barrier to the programme. If you think you will have a problem connecting to the online training, please notify us in the 'Special assistance' field in section one of the application form. 

Shortly after the Africa Prize final, the shortlist members are enrolled into the Africa Prize alumni network which is currently comprised of 150+ innovators across sub-Saharan Africa. The alumni receive exclusive opportunities for funding, development and guidance. Click here for more information. 

The Africa Prize judges are an international panel with expertise in engineering, entrepreneurship, innovation and investment:

• Rebecca Enonchong (Chair)– Founder and CEO of AppsTech and I/O Spaces
• Sewu-Steve Tawia (Deputy Chair)– Managing Partner of Jaza Rift Ventures
• Ian Shott CBE FREng – Managing Director at Shott Trinova
• Yewande Odumosu – Managing Partner at HoaQ Ventures Fund
• Richard Wylde FREng – Managing Director of Thomas Keating Ltd

• The application must be written in English.
• The applicant must have a high level of English language proficiency in order to participate fully in the programme as this is conducted entirely in English. 
• The lead applicant must be over the age of 18 when applications close on 15 October 2024. There is no upper age limit.
• The applicant cannot be an alumni of the Africa Prize or part of the same team, business or innovation that has been through the Prize. 
• Applicants can apply as an individual or as part of a team.
• The lead applicant must be a citizen of a country in sub-Saharan Africa*. For teams of two or more, the lead applicant (the person participating in training) must be a citizen of a country in sub-Saharan Africa*.
• The lead applicant must be ordinarily based in sub-Saharan Africa*; if based overseas, this must be temporary for studies or otherwise.
• The innovation must be based in a country in sub-Saharan Africa*.
• The lead applicant must have an engineering innovation, although they are not required to be an engineering graduate or student to apply.
• The lead applicant must provide a letter of support from a university, research institution, innovation hub or previous incubator programme. This can be as simple as stating that an individual studied at or was involved with that institution. If applicants are not affiliated with any organisation, another document proving the status of their organisation or innovation, such as a document of incorporation or patent certificate, may be used.
• Industrial researchers and establishments are not eligible.
• The innovation can be any new product, technology or service, based on research in engineering defined in its broadest sense to encompass a wide range of fields. This includes but is not limited to: agricultural technology, biotechnology, chemical engineering, civil engineering, computer science, design engineering, electrical and electronic engineering, ICT, materials science, mechanical engineering, and medical engineering. If you are in any doubt that your area of expertise would be considered as engineering, please contact the Academy to discuss your application.
• The lead applicant must provide a letter of consent from the originators/collaborators of the IP to this innovation, where relevant.
• The lead applicant must provide a technical diagram and photo that showcases the technical aspects of the innovation as part of their application.
• Applicants should have developed, and be in the early stages of commercialising, an engineering innovation that:
  • Will bring social and/or environmental benefits to a country/countries in sub-Saharan Africa*
  • Has strong potential to be replicated and scaled-up
  • Is accompanied by an ambitious but realistic business plan that has strong commercial viability.
• If the business is mainly based on developing innovative hardware, then applicants should:
  • Have built one or more working prototypes that prove the technical concept and performance 
  • Have evolved the design ready for initial commercial production
  • Have realistic cost and schedule estimates for manufacture
  • Have clear evidence that an early version of their innovation is generating traction with a sufficient number of prospective customers to underpin for initial revenues and profitability
• If the business is primarily software/app based, then applicants should:
  • Have developed a minimum viable product with demonstrable functionality
  • Have clear evidence that the minimum viable product is generating traction with a sufficient number of prospective customers to underpin forecasts for initial revenues and profitability. 

* For the purposes of the programme, the Academy’s definition of sub-Saharan Africa includes all countries defined by the African Union within Central, East, Southern, and West Africa. These are: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Republic of the Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, eSwatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Participation in the Africa Prize will not affect your participation in other Academy programmes, with the exception of the Leaders in Innovation Fellowship (LIF) programme:

Alumni of the Academy’s Advance programme or alumni of the Leaders in Innovation Fellowship (LIF) programme who participated after June 2024 are not eligible to apply to the Africa Prize. LIF alumni who participated in the LIF programme before June 2024 may be eligible if they can evidence through their application why participation in the Africa Prize is necessary and/or will add value to them and their business.