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

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!