Category Archives: scholarships

Kenya’s CMA Targets Young Investors through a University Challenge

Kenya’s Capital Markets Authority (CMA) will be holding a nationwide University Challenge as part of its education and investor awareness outreach program. The CMA team staged a chat last week on its Facebook page where its staff answered dozens of questions from young investors interested in participating in the Challenge, which is the second one in the series after another that was held in 2015.

Some excerpts of the responses during the chat:

  • The Challenge is open to all students interested in capital markets.
  • It is for individual young investors (over 18 years), who are enrolled at any university in the country and are in good standing academically (i.e. not on probation, or suspension at their university), and who must not be related to any CMA officials of organizers of the Challenge.
  • Once the university Challenge starts in mid-July 2018, the CMA which also has an investor education department will organize tours and barazas (meetings) with some Universities and will also have ambassadors at different campuses around the country.
  • The CMA Investor Education department has an investor education page on their website, a library for research, and also a unique resource portal for investors in capital markets to get information which is also useful to people who have graduated and are now outside of campus, but still interested in becoming savvy young investors.
  • The Challenge runs from July to November and students who enter will go through a series of online examinations, and the finalists will also get to give presentations.
  • The top prize is Kshs 150,000 (about $1,500) which the winner will use to buy shares at the Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE). Other winners will also get a chance to travel and see how capital markets in other African countries work.
  • You can re-watch the chat on the CMA Facebook page.

Besides the Challenge aimed at young investors, other interesting and notable CMA opportunities include a sandbox to test bitcoin, block-chain, and other financial technology (fintech) solutions in Kenya.

Idea Exchange: Food, Fellowship, Counties, Army Worm, Film, Sports, AI, Oil Opportunities

New, and ongoing, opportunities to apply for.

UNCTAD: United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, jointly with Jack Ma, founder and executive chairman of the Alibaba Group, have the eFounders Initiative aims to help bridge the digital divide faced by young entrepreneurs in developing countries and allow them to grasp the opportunities of e-commerce ecosystems.  This capacity building programme to empower 1, 000 e-commerce entrepreneurs from developing countries over a period of five years to become catalysts and the next course will focus on African entrepreneurs from Algeria, Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda and will take place at the campus of the Alibaba Business School in Hangzhou, China from 19 to 29 June 2018. Application Deadline: 4 May 2018
Earth Journalism Network: Climate Change Media Partnership 2018 Reporting Fellowships Apply to report from both the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco and the UN Climate Negotiations in Katowice, Poland.

The Africa Food Prize is the preeminent award for recognizing the extraordinary individual or institution whose contributions to African agriculture are forging a new era of sustainable food security and economic opportunity for all Africans.  The deadline for nominations for the USD 100,000 prize is Tuesday 15 May and the 2018 winner will be unveiled at a high-profile gala dinner at the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) 2018 this September in Kigali, Rwanda.

African Food Security Prize Launched to Stop Devastating Crop Pest: Feed the Future, supported by Land O’Lakes International Development and the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research, has opened its call for applications for the Fall Armyworm Tech Prize that offers to fund up to $400,000 in digital solutions that aim to help stop the spread of fall armyworm in Africa-a pest that is devastating agriculture and demolishing billions of dollars’ worth of crops across the continent. The application deadline is 14 May 2018 and applications may involve a range of digital solutions and must demonstrate how the proposed tool(s) will help smallholder farmers and those that reach them, such as extension agents, monitor, identify, treat or report the incidence of fall armyworm.

Africa Innovation Summit II: A call for application has been launched across Africa for innovations addressing the continent’s challenges – which include energy access, water, food insecurity, health systems, and governance. Applications close on 15 April.

The 2018 African Union Research Grant offers up to $9 million of funding. The deadline for applications is May 22 The call supports research on food, nutrition security and sustainable agriculture (FNSSA).

Andela Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria Fellowships:  The recruitment Schedule for Andela Kenya fellowship cycle 29, and Andela Nigeria, cycle 33 deadline is May, while for the Andela Uganda fellowship cycle 9 and boot camp, the deadline is April 27.

Anzisha Prize: Aims to find a young entrepreneur who is making a difference in their community,  aged 15- 22 so that they can have the chance to win a shared amount of US$100 000 and become an Anzisha fellow. The deadline is 15 April.

Asoko, in a new collaboration with the London Stock Exchange Group, PwC and CDC Group is seeking Africa’s leading private companies – companies to Inspire Africa for a leading report showcasing Africa’s 1,000 most dynamic private, high-growth companies. Deadline is June 11.

BAKE Awards 2018: The nominees of the Bloggers Association of Kenya (BAKE) Awards 2018, that recognizes and awards the best in Kenyan blogging have been announced  in categories including Technology, Photography, Creative Writing, Best Business Blog, Food , Environmental , Fashion & Style, Agricultural, Best New Blog, Corporate Blog, Sports, Entertainment, Education, Travel, Public Health, County Blog, Religious or Spirituality , Lifestyle, Beauty & Hair, Best Video Blog (Vlog), Social Issues & Active Citizenship, and Kenyan Blog of the Year. Voting for the winners is now on, up to 30 April.

The BMCE Bank of Africa – African Entrepreneurship Award 2018 has $1 million of prizes and a trip to Morocco for entries in categories of innovation or sports entrepreneurship. Deadline is  April 30, and more details here.

Chatham House invite applicants for the Academy Africa Fellowship in the Queen Elizabeth II Academy for Leadership in International Affairs in research topics for 2018-19 of
new technologies and their impact on international security (with a focus on artificial intelligence or space), the geo-economics of technology, climate-resilient development ( managing energy transition in a low-income context) and the rising burden of non-communicable diseases (NCD’s) in Africa. The deadline for applications is 29 April.

DEMO Africa 2018: DEMO Africa is a launch pad for emerging technology and trends, attracting over 2000 people from around the globe to experience the finest African innovations. The top five startups from DEMO Africa will be sponsored to Silicon Valley for an all-expense paid trip to be part of the Lions@frica Innovation Tour. Now accepting startup applications until June 15.

EDiT Research Fellows in Applied Development Finance: The Global Development Network (GDN) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) have partnered to create the ambitious EIB-GDN Program in Applied Development Finance for deepening understanding of EIB’s investment operations in African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries. Under this partnership, GDN and EIB will identify, train and deploy teams of research professionals in the ACP regions to conduct “deep dive” studies of selected projects funded under EIB’s Impact Financing Envelope (IFE).

Kenyan winners from the Tony Elumelu Foundation announced earlier this year

Fourth Mining 4i: The Strathmore Extractives Industry Centre (SEIC), in collaboration with the Kipya (Africa) Limited and Extractives Baraza, hosts the Fourth Mining 4i, an annual invite-only forum which focuses on the promotion of Kenya’s mineral potential by attracting investment in technological innovation.

Google Africa Scholarship Program:  Web and Android Scholarships available for residents of African countries. Some scholarship recipients may be able to participate in an Andela Learning Community with our partners from Andela. Finally, top students from each track will earn full scholarships to one of our Android or Web Development Nanodegree programs. Applications due by April 24.

Kalasha Kenya: Submit your entries for the #MyKenyaMyStory competition for a chance to walk away with grand prizes worth Kshs 500,000 Check poster for more details.

The Competition Authority of Kenya #CAKuzaAwards2018 is celebrating excellence in Kenyan Broadcasting. Vote for your favorite TV and Radio Station, by sending the word KUZA to 15601. Voting is free.

Merck Accelerator Nairobi Satellite Program: In partnership with Mettā, Nairobi, Merck Accelerator’s satellite program in Nairobi is seeking early-stage startups with no more than 4 years in existence, startups in the fields of Healthcare, Life Sciences, Performance Materials and other search fields such as Biosensing and Interfaces, and Precision Farming. For startups based in East Africa, Nairobi Applications are open to May 5, 2018, and founders that are available are to attend a boot camp on May 15-18 in Nairobi, Kenya, if selected.

MEST Africa Challenge 2018: MEST is celebrating 10 years of supporting aspiring African entrepreneurs with a first Pan-African pitch competition, the MEST Africa Challenge. MEST Africa Challenge 2018 will give winning applicants the chance to meet and pitch to leading investors, corporate and ecosystem partners from Africa and beyond, at the finals in Cape Town. The trip will be fully funded. The winning entrepreneurs could receive, as much as, sh.5,000,000 ($50,000) in equity investment and space in one of MEST’s incubators. Companies that apply must be primarily tech-focused. Details here and the deadline for applications is April 22.

Microsoft Imagine Cup 2018: Microsoft has announced this year’s Imagine Cup, the students’ developer technology and innovation competition that will see winners walk with $100, 000 in prizes. Imagine Cup participants create or join a team of up to 3 students. Together, they make an original technology project from start to finish: come up with a great idea, make a plan, build a project, and submit. This year’s Imagine Cup has three special awards that represent the current state of digital transformation: Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, and Mixed Reality.

Norwegian Accelerator, Pangea, a platform connecting African startups with international investment & expertise, has shortlisted 11 start-ups who will be considered for funding of up to 50,000 USD per startup. The 11 start-ups companies are drawn from Kenya-9, Egypt -1 and Nigeria-1. Pangea plans to launch a crowd investment platform in June 2018, allowing accelerated startups further access to funding.

The 8th Orange Social Venture Prize for Innovative Startups in Africa and Middle East (50,000 Euros in Prizes) aims to reward the best innovative business projects. Application deadline is May 31, but now no more Kenyan firms are eligible after Orange divested from Kenya.

Pitch AgriHack 2018 for young agriculture entrepreneurs is a competition for agriculture startups owned by young entrepreneurs, with reward being capacity building and access to a grant. It is organized by the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) and the African Development Bank (AfDB). 8 winners will be selected from 2 categories and there will be an additional category to reward a woman-owned, founded or co-founded startup by one of the partnering organizations that made Pitch AgriHack 2018 possible. It is open to e-agriculture startups offering digital services in the agriculture sector. Details here and the deadline is 21 May.

She Leads Africa Accelerator is set to provide training and funding for women-led technology enabled businesses. The 2018 Accelerator will consist of three 1-week residencies in Lagos where entrepreneurs will receive training from the SLA team, business leaders and experts. Applications close on May 20.

Upstream Oil & Gas Awards: The Upstream Awards 2018 is a ceremony to recognize and celebrate outstanding achievements from within the emerging upstream oil and gas industry. Nominations have closed for, among others, nominees for company of the year, drilling contractor, oil field services ​company of the year, upstream CEO, upstream woman of the year award, local community award, local supplier, oil & gas future leader, upstream financier of the year, journalist of the year, legislator of the year, engineering award, life achievement award, and upstream county award.

USAID and Feed the Future have issued an invite to Sub-Saharan Africa women in agribusiness for the Accelerating Women Entrepreneurs Prize 2018. It is open to women helping smallholder farmers increase access to agricultural input (seeds, fertilizer, etc.), technology (ICT, irrigation, etc.), financial and risk management services. Winning applicants will enjoy access to capital to scale and improve their work. Details here and the deadline for applications is 25 April.

Visa will open the first Visa Everywhere Initiative for Sub Saharan Africa to young developers at this year’s Nairobi Tech Week (NTW) taking place from April 19- 21. Developers who win the Visa-led hackathon during the tech week will automatically gain entry into the Visa Everywhere Initiative where they will have an opportunity to compete for a chance to win up to US $50,000, at a regional event in the region.

WTO 2018 Essay Award for Young Economists:  The WTO has issued a call for young economists to submit papers for the 2018 WTO Essay Award. The award aims to promote high-quality research on trade policy and international trade co-operation and to reinforce the relationship between the WTO and the academic community. Essays must be submitted by 1 June 2018, must address issues related to trade policy and international trade co-operation and cannot exceed 15,000 words.

2018 World Travel Awards:  Nominees have been selected and voting for African winners in is open up to 19 August in categories including (*Kenyan nominees in brackets) – Leading Luxury Private Villa (Cottar’s Bush Villa, Maasai Mara) Africa’s Leading Tented Safari Camp(Elephant Pepper Camp Masai Mara, Fairmont Mara Safari Club, Finch Hattons, Mahali Mzuri, Porini Amboseli Camp, Selenkay Conservancy) Africa’s Leading Safari Lodge (Borana Lodge, Kicheche Bush Camp, Loisaba, Ngerende Island Lodge, ol Donyo Lodge, Sirikoi),  Africa’s Leading Meetings & Conference Centre 2018  (The Kenyatta International Conference Centre), Africa’s Leading Serviced Apartments (Cowrie Shell Beach Apartments), Africa’s Leading Private Island Resort (Manda Bay, Rusinga Island Lodge) Africa’s Leading Luxury Hotel Villa (The Cliff Villa, Alfajiri Villas) Africa’s Leading Hotel Residences (Palacina),  Africa’s Leading Hotel (Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club, Fairmont The Norfolk Hotel), Africa’s Leading Green Hotel ( Nairobi Serena Hotel, The Aberdare Country Club) Africa’s Leading Family Resort (Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club, Leopard Beach Resort & Spa), Africa’s Leading Business Hotel 2018 (Fairmont The Norfolk Hotel, Radisson Blu Hotel, Nairobi Upperhill, Tribe Hotel), Africa’s Leading Boutique Hotel (Giraffe Manor, The Safari Collection,  Hemingways Nairobi, Lion in the Sun)  Africa’s Leading Beach Resort (AfroChic Diani Beach, Almanara Luxury Resort, Swahili Beach, The Majlis), Africa’s Leading All-Inclusive Resort 2018 (Diamonds Dream of Africa) Africa’s Leading Tourist Board 2018 (Kenya Tourism Board) and Africa’s Leading National Park (Masai Mara National Reserve).  

Kenya Airways has been nominated for Africa’s Leading Airline – Business Class, Africa’s Leading Airline – Economy Class, Africa’s Leading Airline, Africa’s Leading Airline Brand 2018 and Leading Inflight Magazine (Msafiri). Also nominated are Fly540 and Jambojet, for Africa’s Leading Low-Cost Airline 2018  and AirKenya, Fly540, Mombasa Air Safari, Safarilink Aviation, Tropic Air for Kenya’s Leading Domestic Safari Carrier 2018.

What other opportunities are there for readers to apply for?

Kenya’s Money in the Past: Bethwell Ogot Footprints on the Sands of Time

My Footprints on the Sands of Time is an autobiography by Professor Bethwell Ogot (wikipedia),  an eminent academic scholar. It is a tale of a young man overcoming incredible hardships, and going through early schooling at Maseno, and later through winning scholarships and prizes, on to excelling at Makerere, St. Andrews (Scotland) and teaching with Carey Francis at Alliance High School. It also touches on his work and roles in the establishment of the University of Nairobi, and Maseno University, and at his travels to present papers and speak at prestigious conferences and other institutions across the world.

Ogot narrates tales on growing up in Luo culture, seeing emerging economic changes e.g. he took a honeymoon trip to Uganda in 1959 traveling on first class from Kisumu to Kampala via Nakuru, a twenty-seven-hour train journey. Later, when his father died on August 30, 1978, this was the day before Kenya’s first president Mzee Jomo Kenyatta was to be buried, and it was a period when the sole broadcaster – the Voice of Kenya refused to publish any other death announcements, newspapers would not publish any other obituaries as a sign of respect to Kenyatta, and coffin-makers were not willing to make any other coffins.

He was close to former schoolmates, who were now in government and its leaders. Ogot was waiting to meet Tom Mboya for lunch at the New Stanley Hotel when Mboya was shot (his death was not unexpected to his friends), and Ogot had an encounter with Mboya’s killer who was fleeing the scene.  He writes of his work to establish and get government and financial support for the Ramogi Institute of Advanced Technology – RIAT and a delicate dance with community leaders including Oginga Odinga who was firmly out of government.

The book has a wealth of information on corporate governance and management from Ogot’s time at regional bodies, parastatals, international organizations, donor-funded ones, universities that were in slow decline and government. He writes of working in research and publishing, and struggling to document and publish African history. Also of his times at the East African Publishing House that published books on political science, history, geography and a modern African library with much opposition from British Publishers who controlled publishing and later from government officials who set out to shut down independent academic stories. They published Okot p’Bitek’s Song of Lawino that some critics considered a terrible poem ahead of its publication but which went on to be celebrated and sell over 25,000 copies.

There are also stories of navigating the East African Legislative Assembly, travels around East Africa, interacting with leaders and observing actions that were either supporting or undermining the East African Community. Uganda’s President Amin spoke of supporting the community even as he launched Uganda Airlines that he said would only do domestic flights in Uganda. There was also the importation of goods for Zambia through Mombasa that undermined the Dar es Salaam port and the Tazara railway, so Tanzania banned Kenyans trucks with excess tonnage from using their highways, and Kenya retaliated by closing its border with Tanzania. Officials in different countries also tried to keep community assets from leaving their borders, and Kenya grounded planes and withheld fuel of East Africa Airways which owed money to Kenya banks in a move designed to hurt vast Tanzania the most.

The most shocking tales are from his time working at the Museums of Kenya and its spinoff that saw Ogot as the first director of The International Louis Leakey Memorial Institute for African Prehistory – TILLMIAP (see an excerpt). It is a serious indictment of Richard Leakey who regarded TILLMIAP as his personal family fund-raising institution and who, with the support of Charles Njonjo in government and diplomats and donor agencies, warded off transparency and Africanization efforts – and was eventually to hound Ogot out of the institution.

Another tale is of when, as the candidate representing Africa on the executive board of UNESCO, he ran for the Presidency of the General Conference. But what should have been a formality of confirming his position became a long process after a surprise Senegalese candidate emerged to run against him – and France lobbied Francophone countries to only vote for a French-speaking African candidate, rules were changed, documents forged, and additional multiple election steps added before Ogot finally won.

The 500+ page book by Prof. Ogot does not have an index, but it’s worth reading all over again.

Africa Digital Media Institute – ADMI Celebrates 5th Anniversary

This week the Africa Digital Media Institute (ADMI) celebrated its fifth anniversary. Founded in 2012 as the Jamhuri Film and Television Academy, by Wilfred Kiumi, it has gone from having 5 students to over 500 now and is well on its way to becoming Kenya’s premier film and media training school that will soon expand to Nigeria and Ghana.

via: ADMI facebook.

The school has expanded beyond film and TV production to include film & TV production, software engineering & design, digital marketing, sound engineering, music production, multimedia, animation, photography and graphic design

Founding Director Kiumi said young creatives took a long time to get international gigs and the gap is yet to be filled and this was why ADMI exists, and later, Director Laila Macharia said ADMI runs its programs to global standards, offering practical digital education so that students are earning incomes even before they graduate.

ADMI has a non-profit arm that works to help needy and deserving students with scholarships and in other ways. Now,  partners, studios, schools and other well-wishers can contribute to help even more students to get valuable training at ADMI.

Idea Exchange: Blog, Fintech, Food, scholarships, SGR, Bellagio, Uber opportunities

Africa Food Prize: The preeminent award that recognizes outstanding individuals or institutions that are leading the effort to change the reality of farming in Africa from a struggle to survive to a business that thrives. Now in its second year, the US $100,000 prize celebrates Africans who are taking control of Africa’s agriculture agenda. It puts a bright spotlight on bold initiatives and technical innovations that can be replicated across the continent to create a new era of food security and economic opportunity for all Africans. The Africa Food Prize began as the Yara Prize, and was established in 2005 by Yara International ASA in Norway to honor achievements in African agriculture. The deadline for nominations is 05 June 2017 and the winner will be unveiled at a high-profile gala dinner at the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF), 4-8 September 2017 in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.

ACF is an innovative US$7 million financial support mechanism designed to provide local power project developers and originators with project development support, technical experience, expertise and funding required to bring their renewable energy projects to life. Now in its third year,  ACF 2017 is a financial support mechanism designed to provide local developers and entrepreneurs with the technical expertise and funding required to bring their renewable energy projects to life edit

BAKE Awards:  Since 2012, the Bloggers Association of Kenya (BAKE) Awards first run in 2012, has recognized and awarded exceptional Kenyan bloggers in different categories every year. You can now submit your blog, or even a blog you like, in the BAKE Awards 2017., in 22 different categtors including technology, photography, creative writing, business food, governance , best new blog, corporate sports, travel etc. Deadline is 10th March

BBC: Komla Dumor Award 2017: The BBC is seeking a future star of African journalism for the BBC World News Komla Dumor Award, now in its third year.Journalists from across the continent are invited to apply for the award, which aims to uncover and promote fresh talent from Africa.The winner will spend three months at the BBC headquarters in London, gaining skills and experience. Applications close on 15th March 2017 at 23:59 GMT.

British Institute in Eastern Africa (BIEA):  The (GIGA) Institute of African Affairs (IAA) is looking to fund a limited number of research projects by doctoral students and early career researchers in economics, political science or other social sciences based at research institutions in sub-Saharan Africa, in particular in South Africa.edit

Centum 2017 graduate program runs from 10th to 31st  March 2017 edit

Citi Tech For integrity Challenge:  Citi and its Allies are proud to present the Citi® Tech for Integrity Challenge (T4I), a global initiative to invite and encourage technology innovators from around the world to create solutions to help public sector entities increase transparency and promote integrity. Tech innovators can now apply to the challenge by submitting an application form and one-page document explaining their solutions. Applications are reviewed by Citi and allies for the Accelerator program. edit

EcobankFintech: Developers, programmers and fintech innovators all over Africa are joining forces with Ecobank, the continent’s biggest banking ecosystem to transform finance through technology and innovation. Ecobank is challenging Africa’s new generation of entrepreneurs to find lasting solutions to the continent’s most pressing banking issues. Submit entries in one or more of our key areas of interest for your Chance to win up to $500,000 funding. Deadline 14th April.

EJEA III – The 2017 edition of the Energy Journalism Excellence Awards competition is open to Kenyan based professionals, those directly employed or freelancers, reporting about Kenya through print, broadcast or digital media. edit

Google: If you’re in Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa (for Africa), apply now to Launchpad Accelerator.  Apply here by 9 April 24, 2017 for training at Google HQ (that) includes intensive mentoring from 20+ Google teams, and expert mentors from top technology companies and VCs in Silicon Valley. Participants receive equity-free support, credits for Google products, PR support and continue to work closely with Google back in their home country during the 6-month program.

GrowthAfrica is looking for ambitious, committed and innovative entrepreneurs in Kenya and Uganda to be part of GrowthAfrica’s Accelerator Programme. The program will equip participating entrepreneurs with skills and knowledge on business and growth strategies, business models, and access to investments. The programmes will be led by experienced facilitators who are carefully selected from GrowthAfrica’s vast pool of industry specialists, who understand the dynamics of running a business and can provide valuable insights to the selected entrepreneurs. The application deadline for Kenya and Uganda is March 12th at midnight 2017.

IFC: Offers a wide variety of financial products for private sector projects in developing countries. To be eligible for IFC funding, the project must: be located in a developing country that is a member of IFC;Be in the private sector; Be technically sound;Have good prospects of being profitable; Benefit the local economy. Also IFC does not lend directly to micro, small, and medium enterprises or individual entrepreneurs, but many of our investment clients are financial intermediaries that on-lend to smaller businesses.

IFRA-Nairobi is offering fieldwork grants to masters and doctoral students to conduct their research in 2017 in one of the five East African countries covered by the Institute: Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and Rwanda.IFRA’s main research themes include: political dynamics, culture and society, economy and land issues. The following topics are IFRA’s priority areas: Elections in Kenya (2017) : mobilization, devolution, culture & technologies, Violence & security : police violence, daily security practices, Informal trade and rural-urban linkages, Social inequalities, morality and authority. edit

Interswitch Group: Pan-African payments company Interswitch Group has announced the extension of a US$10 million ‘ePayment Growth Fund’ (KSH 1 Billion) to East Africa.  The company is looking to collaborate with African entrepreneurs and startups that are developing innovative products that empower Africans to participate in emerging payment ecosystems. The fund is open to any African startup at growth stage that has come up with disruptive concepts within the digital commerce payments industry in Africa. edit 

Mbugua Rosemary Foundation – Young Entrepreneurship Program: The Foundation selects and supports a group of extraordinary emerging-market entrepreneurs who have the potential to transform themselves and their communities through an in-depth training program. It is a resourceful set of classes designed specifically to help you develop a solid plan and learn what it takes to build a thriving business. This program also aims to nurture creativity and develop the participants into socially responsible business leaders and entrepreneurs to support the local economy. The individuals selected will have a strong and viable start-up idea or a business that has been running for a maximum of 3 years. edit

Orange: Call for candidates for the 7th Orange Social Venture Prize in Africa and the Middle East. The OSVPAM will be awarded to innovative projects which make use of information and communication technologies to improve living conditions for the people of Africa and the Middle East in fields such as health, finance, education and agriculture. In addition to national prizes, the three international winners will receive 25,000 euros, 15,000 euros and 10,000 euros respectively, along with support from professionals in start-up creation and funding.OSVPAM is open to any student, employee or entrepreneur over the age of 21 whose initiative is less than 3 years old and who lives in Botswana, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea-Conakry, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Niger, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Senegal, Tunisia, Jordan, Liberia or Burkina Faso.

(The) Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, is seeking applications for data-driven journalism projects related to land rights and property rights..We are seeking data-driven stories that utilize the tools of the trade—satellite imagery, 360° cameras, drones, sensors, data visualizations, and interactive maps/graphics ..They will award three grants for a total of $75,000. Apply by May 1, 2017. edit

Rockefeller Foundation BellagioCenter: 2017/2018 Academic Writing Residency Program. The Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center, through a combination of conferences and residency programs, supports the work of scholars, artists, thought leaders, policymakers, and practitioners who share in the Foundation’s pioneering mission to “promote the well-being of humanity around the world. The Academic Writing residency is for university and think tank-based academics, researchers, professors, and scientists working in any discipline.Successful applicants will demonstrate decades of significant professional contributions to their field or show evidence of being on a strong upward trajectory for those earlier in their careers. Applications are available on the online application portal along with detailed instructions and further information on applying to the Bellagio Residency Program http://www.opportunitiesforafricans.com/rockefeller-foundation-bellagio-center-20172018-academic-writing-residency-program/. Application Deadline: May 1, 2017

Sage: The Sage Foundation launches $1 million Enterprise Fund to inspire innovation and change in Africa. The new $1 million fund is open to non-profits in Africa with enterprising ideas to help improve the lives of military veterans, young people or women and girls. The $1 million will be split between two rounds of $500,000; with the second round ready for release in July 2017. Applications for the first round are open until April 5; grants between $5,000 and $35,000 will then be awarded to successful applicants.

SGR Photography Competition: China Roads and Bridges Corporation (CRBC) presents SGR photography competition, the 2017 edition, an artistic project to nurture creativity and use photography to tell stories.

Stanford Seed Transformation Program:  The Stanford Seed Transformation Program is a 12-month, intensive leadership program for established business leaders which includes four, week-long immersive sessions spread over a six month period. Designed specifically for business owners, the program is delivered in-country (Nairobi, Kenya) and led by Stanford Graduate School of Business faculty. The ultimate goal: to create a detailed action plan to help you grow and scale your company. Take advantage of a world-class curriculum from Stanford GSB and the innovative thinking that has shaped some of the most successful companies in Silicon Valley. Target is founders and senior leaders of for-profit companies, across all industries, with annual revenues between US$150,000 and USD $15 million and that are headquartered, legally registered, and currently operating within East Africa.

WCSJ News Thanks to generous support from foundations, science and media organizations, and individual donors, WCSJ2017 is excited to offer travel fellowships for professional and student attendees from the U.S. and abroad. These fellowships are intended to enable those who otherwise could not attend to join us for the conference in San Francisco, October 26-30, 2017. The grants will provide full or partial support to cover economy airfare, accommodation for the duration of the conference, and reasonable ground transport, up to a maximum amount based on the traveler’s location and circumstances. Fellowship recipients will receive complimentary meeting registration.

World Food Programme Innovation Accelerator: The United Nation’s World Food Programme (WFP) and Singularity University have teamed up to launch the [on/su.org/foodgic]Global Impact Challenge – Food in Emergencies, a contest open to social innovators and entrepreneurs worldwide keen of solving the issue of providing sustainable sources of food in emergencies. The challenge runs over about two months, since the official launch by the Executive Director in Davos at the World Economic Forum last month until the 10th March. Apply for the 2017 Global Impact Challenge

Yale University initiatives support African students:  The path to a university education in the United States has become smoother for African school kids thanks to the introduction of Yale University’s Young African Scholars Program (YYAS).The idea of the program to help talented secondary school pupils in Africa discover academic opportunities in the U.S. came from African undergraduates studying at Yale. In partnership with the HigherLife Foundation and Yale University, YYAS is free of charge to participating pupils and the application is open until March 16, 2017. http://www.your-bizbook.com/en/Club-Africa-News/yale-university-initiatives-support-african-students

Recent Ones (Now Closed)

Andela: Every month we receive applications from talented aspiring developers interested in joining the Andela Fellowship Program. In 2016 alone, we hired 70 developers in Kenya, 30.5% of whom were female. You may be asking, with such great success why an all female cohort? Why an all female cohort? Having an all female cohort encourages women to venture into tech as it counters the narrative that tech is a male dominated field. The only requirements are that the candidate is female, hardworking, detail oriented and has a passion for technology. The application submission deadline is February 15, 2017. Applications are at http://bit.ly/AndelaCohortXVI

Blackbox  The Blackbox Connect Female Founders Edition is an exclusive cycle for high potential female entrepreneurs. The target is to bring at least 17 female founders to the Silicon Valley for a two-week immersion program where they will have the opportunity to live and collaborate with like-minded entrepreneurs from all around the world and take part in an intense agenda of meetings and workshops with entrepreneurs, investors, experts and executives. The Blackbox Connect, Female Founders Edition is powered by Google for Entrepreneurs The application is officially LIVE and will be open until March 8, so get those nominations finalized as soon as possible!

Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF):  Africa’s largest business incubator is now accepting applications from African entrepreneurs, with business ideas that can transform Africa. Successful applicants will join the third cycle of the TEF Entrepreneurship Programme, TEF’s 10-year, $100 million commitment to train, mentor and fund 10,000 African entrepreneurs in every African country. Since inception in 2015, the Programme has assisted nearly 2,000 entrepreneurs and created hundreds of jobs across the continent.

#UberPITCH Powered By Mettā:  Uber and Mettā in conjunction with Nairobi Innovation Week are giving entrepreneurs a chance of a lifetime. We’re giving you the opportunity to have your ideas heard. On March 6, startup heroes, CEOs and investors will listen to your ideas, all in the back of an Uber through #UberPITCH powered by Mettā Nairobi and the rides won’t cost a thing. The theme of this year’s UberPITCH powered by Mettā will be ‘Innovation to solve pressing local and global challenges’. The top teams will be invited for a special event with some of Kenya’s leading investors and business leaders. Find out more and submit your application → http://t.uber.com/pitch254 We are teaming up with Uber during Nairobi Innovation Week 2017 to give entrepreneurs the chance of a lifetime! On March 6, request an UberPITCH and pitch your idea to an investor. For more information, visit t.uber.com/pitch254