The 2022 application intake for Africa Digital Innovation Competition is on, this innovation competition is a collaborative effort put together by the Chamber of Commerce’s U.S.-Africa Business Center (USAfBC) with AmChams across Africa.
The Africa Digital Innovation Competition is an annual Digital Entrepreneurship Competition for African Startups, it is targeted toward Digital SMEs and startups that are looking to facilitate the delivery of digital, cross-border, and cross-domain services and solutions.
About Africa Digital Innovation Competition
Africa Digital Innovation competition will be focused on three broad thematic areas namely:
- Fintech and Cyber Solutions: These include data flow solutions, cross-border digital platform solutions, mobile technology, intellectual property management, cyber security, and digital movement of creative art (movies, music, art).
- Sustainability & Supply Chain Solutions: it covers smart manufacturing, e-commerce, management of shared economies, improvement of digital supply chain, logistics solutions to e-commerce businesses, and agriculture technology (AgTech).
- Human Development & Social Services Solutions: it includes digital health solutions and e-learning platforms.
Who’s Eligible to Apply for Africa Digital Innovation Competition
Africa Digital Innovation Competition is open to entrepreneurs, startups, and independent innovators who have turned ideas into digital innovation to improve living conditions for Africans amid the pandemic.
An applicant (or their startup) must meet the criteria below to be eligible:
- The applicant must be a startup or innovator with at least 51% African ownership
- An applicant for this competition must be incorporated /registered with the appropriate country-based body, e.g., the Nigerian Corporate Affairs Commission CAC.
- The applicant must not be a government agency, public administration, political organization, or non-profit of any type Africa Digital Innovation Competition
- The Startup must have its headquartered in one of the African Countries.
- Also, Startup must not be older than five (5) years and not be part of a franchise brand or licensing agreements for distribution in a different country
- The startup must not be a Business engaged in any illegal activity and not listed on the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Sanctions List
Benefits of Africa Digital Innovation Competition
- Africa Digital Innovation Competition will award cash prizes and in-kind services to the top three winners.
- For the in-kind services, it may include laptops, annual subscriptions to digital platforms, mentoring, and digital marketing/advertising services for the top three winners of the competition.
- The top three winners of the competition will also be offered a virtual platform to engage with mentors and participants during the Digital Economy Summit on 7th December 2022.
How to Apply for Africa Digital Innovation Competition 2022 Intake
To apply for the Africa Digital Innovation Competition, follow the brief steps stated below;
- Visit the application webpage at: https://usafbc.awardsplatform.com/
- You will need to first register an account by entering your Name, last name, email, and password in the field provided and then Click Register
- Once you’re registered, you can now log in with your username and password to begin your entry (save it in-progress).
- The last step is to submit your entry and await the outcome of your application
You can also Visit the Award official Webpage for more details: https://www.uschamber.com/awards-competition/africa-digital-innovation-competition/prizes-for-the-africa-digital-innovation-competition
The Selection Process for Africa Digital Innovation Competition Winners
During the selection process;
- Applicants will be evaluated by a panel of judges one on one based on the pertinence of the idea being resolved, the quality of the innovation/service response, the business model, market size, and the clarity of the two-minute video pitch.
- Both the selection and evaluation process of submissions shall be reviewed and accredited by an external certified reviewer.
- Those who emerge winners of the competition will be determined by the judges’ ranking of the applicants based on a set of pre-determined criteria.
Other Details of Africa Digital Innovation Competition
- Elugiy Countries: African countries
- Type of Scholarship: Contest
- Application Deadline: May 31, 2022
- Number of Scholarships: 3
Best of Luck!
