Call For Applications: Pathways to Scale Cohort 2 for Women Entrepreneurs in Nigeria | Access Up to ₦300 Million Loan

Applications are open for Cohort 2 of the Pathways to Scale (P2S) programme, an initiative supporting women entrepreneurs in Nigeria with access to finance, business support, mentorship and connections to investors and other business partners.

The current call is targeted at women who own or run businesses in agriculture and related sectors, particularly businesses operating in rural or peri-urban communities.

Selected businesses can access concessional loans ranging from ₦10 million to ₦300 million, alongside tailored business support and mentorship.

Applications close on October 7, 2026.

About Pathways to Scale

Pathways to Scale is a five-year, $45 million programme led by World University Service of Canada (WUSC) in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation.

The programme operates in Nigeria, Ghana, Ethiopia and Rwanda and aims to support 13,000 women-owned and women-led enterprises while creating or sustaining 108,000 work opportunities for young women.

In Nigeria, the programme is supporting women-led businesses to improve access to finance, business development support, markets and professional networks.

The current application is being conducted through the programme’s Nigeria implementation partners, including Shecluded. The official application form identifies the process as an initial due-diligence exercise for the Pathways to Scale programme

Who Can Apply?

The current Cohort 2 call is designed for women entrepreneurs in Nigeria whose businesses operate in agriculture or related sectors.

Applicants should have a business that:

Operates in agriculture or an agriculture-related sector

Is located in or serves a rural or peri-urban community in Nigeria

Generates more than ₦88 million in annual sales, according to the current call

Is owned or led by women

Is actively operating and ready for business growth

Can participate in the programme’s business support and coaching activities

Which Businesses Are Eligible?

The application form covers a broad range of agriculture and related businesses, including:

Agricultural input supply

Crop production

Livestock and poultry

Aquaculture

Processing and value addition

Aggregation and storage

Distribution and transport

Agricultural marketing and sales

Agricultural exports

Agri-services

AgriTech

Related financial services

Applicants are also asked to explain how their businesses work with rural communities, including whether they buy from rural communities, provide services to them or employ women in rural areas.

What Will Successful Applicants Receive?

Access to Concessional Loans

The current Cohort 2 announcement advertises access to concessional loans from ₦10 million to ₦300 million for eligible businesses.

This is loan financing, not a grant, so applicants should assess their ability to repay before applying.

Tailored Business Support

Selected businesses will receive tailored support aimed at helping them strengthen their operations and prepare for growth.

The current call identifies business support powered by SIGMAT AI as part of the programme.

Mentorship and Advisory Support

Participants can access mentorship and advisory support from experienced professionals and industry experts

Investor and Corporate Connections

The programme also provides opportunities to connect participating businesses with:

Investors

Financial institutions

Corporates

Other ecosystem partners

Entrepreneur Networking

Selected women entrepreneurs will have opportunities to build relationships with other businesses and organisations within the Pathways to Scale ecosystem.

What Information Is Required?

The application form is detailed and functions as an initial business due-diligence process.

Applicants are asked to provide information including:

Personal and contact details

Business name and website

Business ownership structure

Founder/management role

Business location

Type of settlement

Business registration status

Annual sales

Annual profit

Industry and business activities

Number of employees

Business costs

Existing loans

Previous funding

Business financing needs

Customer and sales information

Women ownership and leadership

Number of young women employed

Number of women benefiting from the business

Jobs created for rural and peri-urban women

The form also asks applicants about their ability to participate in online training and coaching sessions.

What Does the Programme Look For?

The application process goes beyond simply asking about the business idea.

Applicants will need to provide information that helps the programme understand the business’s:

Current revenue

Profitability

Ownership

Operations

Financing needs

Existing debt

Market activity

Workforce

Impact on women

Links with rural and peri-urban communities

The form also asks businesses to identify the areas where they need support, including financial support, equipment, mentorship, technical training and market access.

APPLY HERE

D-Prize Challenge 2026/2027 for Social Entrepreneurs to fight Poverty ($USD 20,000)

What's it about?

D-Prize funds social entrepreneurs who want to fight extreme poverty by distributing proven solutions to people who currently lack access. It is focused on taking solutions that already work and getting them to underserved communities.

Eligibility

Applicants must be 18+

Individuals, teams, nonprofits and for-profit ventures can apply

Especially encourages applicants from low- and middle-income countries

You don't need an existing registered NGO/company

Primarily for new organizations

Existing organizations generally shouldn't have more than 18 months of full-time operations or more than $30,000 raised externally. 

How it works

Choose a D-Prize challenge, such as Poverty Graduation, Agriculture, Education, Health, Water, etc.

Submit a 2-page concept note + résumé

Selected applicants move to Round 2

Finalists have interviews

Winners receive up to $20,000

Use the funding to run a 3-month pilot, demonstrate results and then scale.

Program benefits

Up to $20,000 seed funding

Capital to launch a new social-impact organization

Opportunity to test your idea through a funded pilot

Opportunity to build an organization designed for large-scale impact

Access to a global social-entrepreneurship platform

D-Prize reports that its supported organizations have collectively reached 11 million people with life-enhancing products and services.

2026 deadlines

Early: October 25, 2026

Regular: November 15, 2026

Extension: December 6, 2026

APPLY HERE

Call for Applications: MTN Foundation ICT and Business Skills Training Phase 8 for Young Nigerian Entrepreneurs (Up to ₦100 Million Equipment Grant Fund)

Call for Applications: UNDP & Mastercard Foundation Young Africa Innovates 2026 ( Grants, Incubation & Market Access)

Applications are now open for Cohort 2 of the Young Africa Innovates (YAI) Programme, a partnership between the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Mastercard Foundation designed to identify, incubate and scale youth-led innovations that address socio-economic challenges across Nigeria.

The 2026–2027 cohort will operate across seven states and provide selected innovators with capacity building, intensive bootcamp training, incubation support, mentorship, financial support and pathways to market access.

Call for Applications: Tech Women Fest Laptop Initiative 2026 for Young Women in Nigeria

Deadline: September 5, 2026

Applications are open for the Tech Women Fest Laptop Initiative 2026, an opportunity designed to provide laptops to young women in Nigeria who are pursuing careers in technology but lack access to a personal computer.

The initiative aims to help reduce the digital access gap by giving selected young women the tools they need to learn, practise their skills, build technology projects and advance their professional careers.

The programme is open to eligible applicants in Lagos, Ogun and Oyo States, with successful recipients expected to receive their laptops during Tech Women Fest Lagos in October 2026.

About the Tech Women Fest Laptop Initiative

The Laptop Initiative is part of Tech Women Fest Lagos 2026 and focuses on addressing one of the practical barriers that can prevent young women from progressing in technology: limited access to personal computing devices.

Having a laptop can make it easier for aspiring technology professionals to participate in online courses, practise technical skills, develop projects, build portfolios and pursue employment or freelance opportunities.

The initiative therefore targets young women who are actively developing careers in technology and require a personal laptop to support their learning and professional growth.

Who Can Apply?

The initiative is open to young women who meet the following conditions:

Reside in Lagos, Ogun or Oyo State.

Are currently pursuing or developing a career in technology.

Need access to a personal laptop to support their learning and professional development.

Are willing to register for Tech Women Fest Lagos.

Are willing to complete the separate Laptop Initiative application.

Applicants should be prepared to demonstrate how access to a laptop would support their technology journey and career development.

What Selected Applicants Will Receive

Successful applicants will receive:

A personal laptop to support their technology career.

Access to a device for learning and skills development.

An opportunity to use the laptop for building projects and developing a professional portfolio.

Participation in the Tech Women Fest Lagos ecosystem.

The laptop is intended to provide practical support for beneficiaries as they continue developing their skills and pursuing opportunities within the technology sector.

How to Apply

Applicants are required to complete two separate steps before the deadline.

Step 1: Register for Tech Women Fest Lagos

Applicants must first register for Tech Women Fest Lagos.

APPLY HERE

Call For Applications: Kenya Artificial Intelligence Accelerator Programme 2026 for Kenyan Startups and Innovators

Applications are open for the Kenya Artificial Intelligence Accelerator Programme 2026, a national initiative supporting high-impact AI solutions that can improve public-service delivery and contribute to Kenya’s green transition.

The programme is led by the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy (MICDE), the Technopolis Development Authority (TDA) and UNDP Kenya.

What the Programme Offers

Selected applicants will receive stage-appropriate support, including:

Access to AI compute resources

Data preparation support

Technical assistance

Guidance on responsible AI

Support to develop and advance high-impact AI use cases.

Programme Pathways

Applicants can apply under one of two pathways:

1. Public-Service Delivery AI

This pathway focuses on AI solutions that can strengthen public-service delivery.

It is open to:

Kenyan public institutions

Universities and research institutions

Startups and innovators.

2. GreenTech and Environmental AI

This pathway supports AI-driven solutions addressing environmental and green-transition challenges.

It is open to:

Startups and innovators

Universities and research institutions

Who Can Apply?

Applicants must generally:

Be legally established or formally recognised in Kenya

Submit a clearly defined problem or AI use case under an eligible pathway

Identify intended users, customers or beneficiaries.

Explain why AI is appropriate for the proposed solution.

Demonstrate the expected public, environmental, social or economic value

Have access to relevant data or a credible plan for obtaining and preparing the data

Identify a responsible focal person and team.

Participate in programme assessments, technical assistance and responsible AI reviews.

Comply with applicable Kenyan legal, regulatory, data-protection and intellectual-property requirements.

Requirements for Startups and Innovators

Startups and innovators applying under

 the GreenTech pathway must meet additional requirements, including:

Being legally registered and operating in Kenya

Having a technology-enabled solution addressing an eligible GreenTech challenge

Demonstrating that AI already contributes, or could materially contribute, to the solution

Having a committed core team

Understanding the intended customers, users or beneficiaries

Having a prototype or minimum viable solution (MVP)

Having access to relevant data, or a credible data-acquisition plan

Having the necessary approvals and licences, or a credible compliance plan

Demonstrating basic corporate governance and accountability arrangements.

APPLY HERE

Call for Applications: TEEEM Foundation Community Impact Grant 2026 (Up to $30,000 in Funding)

 Deadline 1 November 2026

The TEEEM Foundation has opened applications for its 2026 Community Impact Grant Programme, offering funding of up to $30,000 to nonprofit and charitable organisations implementing sustainable, community-driven solutions.

The grant supports organisations working to create measurable and lasting impact through education, youth development, health, empowerment, entrepreneurship, economic opportunity and community development.

Grant Categories and Funding

Community Grants: $5,000–$10,000 for grassroots and local community projects

Growth Grants: $10,000–$20,000 to expand successful programmes and reach more communities

Transformational Grants: $20,000–$30,000 for large-scale initiatives with long-term impact

Eligible Projects

Funding is available for initiatives focused on:

Education and youth development

Health and essential community needs

Equality and empowerment

Entrepreneurship and economic opportunity

Community infrastructure

Sustainable community development

Who Can Apply?

The grant is open to nonprofit and charitable organisations with a demonstrated commitment to community-centred development.

Strong applicants should demonstrate:

• Sustainable and measurable community impact
• Effective organisational leadership
• Financial accountability
• Community-driven programme design
• Innovative approaches to solving local challenges
• Alignment with TEEEM’s mission of empathy, equality, empowerment, education and service

Organisations working with underserved communities and young people are particularly encouraged to apply.

Application Process

Applicants are required to:

Download and complete the Community Impact Grant application form.

Prepare the required supporting documents and organisational attachments.

Combine the completed application and supporting materials into a single PDF.

Submit the application by email before the deadline.

Applications will be assessed based on mission alignment, organisational capacity, community need, sustainability and anticipated social impact.

APPLY HERE