Agribusiness Growth Challenge 2026 Opens Applications for Young Entrepreneurs, Offers €6,000 Award

The programme offers free online business training and a chance to win funding, a laptop or six months of mentorship for eligible agripreneurs in Nigeria and other OACPS member countries.

Young and emerging agripreneurs in Nigeria and other eligible countries can apply for the 2026 Agribusiness Growth Challenge, an initiative designed to help agricultural businesses strengthen their business models, build climate resilience and prepare for sustainable growth.

Organised through the Agri-Business Facility for Africa (ABF), the challenge combines free online training with a competitive opportunity to receive one of three Business Growth Awards: €6,000 in funding, a Dell Pro 14 Essential laptop or a place in a six-month agribusiness mentoring programme.

Applications for the current submission window close on October 30, 2026.

The programme targets entrepreneurs aged 18 and above who are based in member countries of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), including Nigeria. Applicants must develop a business idea within at least one of the eligible agricultural value chains: maize, livestock, cashew or cocoa.

What Does the Agribusiness Growth Challenge Offer?

The challenge is designed to help entrepreneurs develop stronger business plans and understand what it takes to grow an agricultural enterprise sustainably.

Participants must complete three mandatory courses through the Agribusiness e-Academy. The courses cover climate-smart agribusiness, business model development and investment readiness.

The first two courses, Climate-Smart Agribusiness: Adaptation and Business Model Canvas, can be completed in either order. After completing both, participants can access the final course, Creating an Investment-Ready Agribusiness.

Successful completion of all three courses is required before an applicant can submit a business model for consideration.

The training is intended to help entrepreneurs understand their customers, assess how their businesses will generate income, identify climate-related risks and develop plans that can support future growth.

Awards Available to Selected Applicants

Entrepreneurs who complete the training can submit their business models for consideration for the Business Growth Awards.

The available awards include:

• €6,000 in funding to support business growth.
• A Dell Pro 14 Essential laptop.
• A place in a six-month agribusiness mentoring programme.

These are competitive, alternative awards. Completing the courses or submitting an application does not guarantee that an applicant will receive funding, a laptop or mentorship.

The challenge is intended to encourage participants to apply what they learn to a practical business idea and demonstrate how it can become viable and resilient.

Who Can Apply?

The opportunity is open to young and emerging agripreneurs who meet the programme’s requirements.

Applicants must:

• Be at least 18 years old.
• Reside in an OACPS member country, including Nigeria.
• Have a business idea focused on maize, cattle, sheep, goats, cashew or cocoa.
• Complete all three mandatory Agribusiness e-Academy courses.
• Provide a valid certificate ID from the final course, Creating an Investment-Ready Agribusiness.
• Submit a completed business model through the official application form.

Ideas outside the specified agricultural value chains will not be considered under this submission window.

How to Apply

Interested applicants must complete the training and submit their business models before the deadline.

Step 1: Register for the online courses.

Create an account on the atingi learning platform and enrol in the required Agribusiness e-Academy courses.

Step 2: Complete all three courses.

Complete Climate-Smart Agribusiness: Adaptation and Business Model Canvas in either order, then complete Creating an Investment-Ready Agribusiness. Applicants must obtain a valid certificate ID from the final course.

Step 3: Prepare your business model.

Develop the required AgriCanvas business model, explaining how the enterprise will operate, generate revenue and manage its financial needs.

Step 4: Complete the submission form.

Enter the required business information directly into the official KoboToolbox submission form. Applicants must also explain the project’s climate-smart or resilience component, describe its revenue model and estimate the capital needed to start or expand the business.

Step 5: Submit before the deadline.

Complete the application and submit it by October 30, 2026. Only submissions that meet the programme’s requirements will be considered.

The courses and competition are free. Applicants should use the official programme website to confirm the requirements and access the correct application links.

Why the Opportunity Matters for African Agribusinesses

Small and emerging agricultural enterprises play an important role in food production, processing, distribution and rural livelihoods. However, developing a viable business can be challenging when entrepreneurs lack business planning skills, access to finance or the capacity to respond to changing weather conditions.

The Agribusiness Growth Challenge seeks to address some of these barriers by combining practical training with a competitive opportunity for business support.

Its focus on climate resilience is particularly relevant to agricultural enterprises exposed to changing rainfall patterns, drought, flooding and other environmental risks. Understanding these risks can help entrepreneurs make better decisions about production, sourcing and long-term investment.

The business planning courses may also help participants identify their customers, understand their costs and explain how their enterprises can generate sustainable revenue.

For eligible entrepreneurs, the programme offers an opportunity to develop these skills while competing for additional support to strengthen their businesses.

However, applicants should be aware that the awards are not guaranteed and that completing the training does not automatically qualify a business for funding.

Application Deadline

The deadline for the Agribusiness Growth Challenge 2026 submission window is October 30, 2026. Winners are expected to be announced towards the end of December 2026.

Interested entrepreneurs can access the courses, official submission form and full competition requirements through the Agri-Business Facility for Africa website.

Apply here: https://www.agribusiness-facility.org/funding.html

[give_form id="20698"]