Deadline: May 25, 2026
Applications are open for the African Union Food & Energy Sovereignty Challenge 2026. This Call for Solutions constitutes a large-scale industrial mobilization aimed at propelling African technological ingenuity to secure the continent’s food and energy future. They are mobilizing the “Sovereignty Builders”: an elite cohort of high-growth SMEs, Startups, and Deeptech companies possessing the technical maturity to transform proof-of-concepts into structural pillars of the African continental market.
They aim to create change by:
- Incentivizing innovators to identify and address major structural bottlenecks in Africa’s food systems and energy autonomy.
- Sourcing and scaling innovative, industrial-ready solutions for continental adoption, replication, and expansion.
- Fostering strategic innovation partnerships involving industrial leaders, research institutions, governments, and financial stakeholders.
- Supporting policy dialogue and structured engagement between innovators and governments to promote the alignment of national industrial plans with AfCFTA and Agenda 2063 priorities.
- Assisting Member States in leveraging emerging technologies, including AI and robotics, to optimize resource management and strengthen the “Soil and Energy” nexus.
Focus Areas
The 2026 Call particularly welcomes innovations in the following two focus areas:
- Track A: Innovation for Food Sovereignty
- Track B: Innovation for Energy Sovereignty
Benefits
Selected innovators will gain access to an unprecedented growth engine to transform their solutions
into continental champions:
- Industrial Scalability: Dedicated support to expand production capacity from current stages to robust, continental-scale industrial output.
- Market Access: Institutional support to facilitate the acquisition of national and regional public procurement contracts to anchor solutions in public infrastructure.
- Influence and Finance Networking: Targeted matchmaking with Venture Capital (VC) firms, institutional investors, and privileged access to high-level government decision-makers for strategic deal-making.
- Trade and Industry Missions: Inclusion in official African Union delegations for premier international business, trade, and innovation forums.
- High-Level Visibility: Featured publication in the “Africa Food & Energy Sovereignty Catalog 2026”.
Eligibility
Applications will be accepted from citizens of AU Member States leading an organization that meets
the following mandatory requirements:
- Nationality and Ownership: The company must be at least 51% owned by African citizens (whether residing on the continent or part of the diaspora).
- Legal Standing: The entity must be legally registered.
- Technological Maturity: The solution must have a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 6 or higher (proven prototypes or market-active solutions).
- Sector Alignment: The innovation must strictly focus on either Food Sovereignty or Energy Sovereignty as defined in the Challenge tracks.
Selection Criteria
Submissions will undergo a comprehensive technical review by the Selection Panel based on the following weighted scorecard:
- Innovation and Distinctiveness (30%): Uniqueness of the solution within the African context and its immediate deployment capacity (TRL 6+).
- Economic Viability and Scalability (20%): Robustness of the business model, growth plan, and capacity for large-scale continental expansion.
- Socio-economic Impact and Nexus Focus (20%): Job creation potential, contribution to climate resilience, and proof of a direct synergy within the “Soil and Energy” nexus.
- Intellectual Property (20%): Proof of patents (filed or pending) and protection of intangible assets.
- Team and Execution Capacity (10%): Technical expertise of the founders and a proven track record of successful implementation.
Application
For more information, visit Food & Energy Sovereignty Challenge.
