About the Award 2023/24
After a successful first edition, the second edition of the Kofi Annan Award for Innovation in Africa is committed to identifying and supporting innovative solutions that enhance food security and food systems resilience throughout Africa. Therefore, with the KAAIA, the Austrian Federal Chancellery, together with well-renowned partner organizations, supports innovative agri-tech solutions across Africa and boost their impact. The focus of the second edition of the KAAIA is on Sustainable Development Goal 2: Zero Hunger.
From 18 January to 8 February we welcomed applications from African social entrepreneurs with digital or technology-powered solutions for people in Africa. Innovations should address one or more of the following priority topics:
- Inclusion of marginalized groups in food security
- Enhanced nutrition for women
- Circular solutions and reduction of post-harvest losses
More than 830 innovative African entrepreneurs from across 89 countries around the world (of these, 717 applications have been submitted by entrepreneurs from 49 African countries) applied for a chance to win 250,000 euros, take part in our Innovation Bootcamp and benefit from a strong network of partners and international visibility. This goes to show the many ways we can come together to end hunger and malnutrition in Africa with the power of innovation.
What we offer
Social Enterprises that are accepted to the Innovation Bootcamp will have the opportunity to pitch to a high-level jury that will determine which 3 teams will each receive a grant of 250,000 EUR from the Austrian Development Agency.
Finalists will gain international recognition and exposure.
9 social enterprises will be accepted to participate in a fully virtual WFP Innovation Bootcamp, where they will benefit from the chance to work with technical and industry experts, who will provide guidance to further develop and refine their solutions.
Selected teams will be able to connect with an entrepreneur ecosystem and leverage a strong network of mentors, investors and business to accelerate implementation.
The 3 winning teams will additionally benefit from the WFP Sprint Programme, a 12-month acceleration programme with access to mentorship, knowledge management and WFP’s global network of partners.
The Set-Up of the Kofi Annan Award for Innovation in Africa
The Austrian Federal Chancellery is inviting African social entrepreneurs and purpose-driven enterprises with a measurable social impact and sustainable business model to apply in order to bring their social impact to scale and benefit as many Africans as possible.
Nine candidate teams will be selected to further develop their solutions in the 5-day intensive Innovation Bootcamp and consequently pitch their solutions in front of a high-level jury.
Alongside this, candidates will further benefit from the Support Network of the Kofi Annan Award for Africa – a community of passionate and engaged mentors, investors, consultants, corporate partners and industry experts who share one goal: to help social entrepreneurs get access to the right resources at the right time.
How we select innovations
Innovations will be evaluated and selected according to the following criteria:
- Impact & Scalability: The idea has the potential to positively impact the health and wellbeing of a specific population.
- Business Model: the project has a scalable product/service with sustainable revenue generation and scalable financial model.
- Team: The team members have relevant experience, are committed to the project and ability to implement the solution.
- Innovativeness: The idea is a new technology, the approach of applying existing technology, process or business model addressing a problem.
- Traction: The innovation has shown demonstrable results in terms revenue, customers, investments, or grants.
Partnerships
The Kofi Annan Award for Africa is organized by the Austrian Federal Chancellery, together with the Kofi Annan Foundation and the operational support of the World Food Programme Innovation Accelerator and the Austrian Development Agency.
