Call for applications for AYuTe Africa Challenge Nigeria 2026 is open now!!
The AYuTe Africa NextGen, an initiative of Heifer International, was established in 2021 as an agribusiness innovation initiative designed to catalyze ground-up innovation that address challenges faced by smallholder farmers at scale, providing the incubation and catalytic financing needed for these businesses to scale. AYuTe (Agriculture, Youth and Technology) combines the power of African youth with the many possibilities of emerging technologies to support smallholder farmers across the continent grow their businesses and incomes.
At the core of the initiative is the AYuTe Challenge, a competition that identifies and enables young African entrepreneurs to develop and scale agtech solutions. Selected companies receive part of a $1.5 million catalytic grant, along with technical support to scale their solutions and expand their impact.
The AYuTe Africa Challenge Nigeria is an enterprise development program initiated by Heifer International and implemented by Wennovation Hub to identify, nurture, and support innovative, relevant and technology-driven agric-centric enterprises to grow, scale and thrive.
Candidates should be early-stage or growth-stage youth-led agritech businesses/companies with innovative solutions impacting smallholder farmers at scale.
The application period will run from 22nd January to 14th March 2026. Late or incomplete entries will not be accepted.
The challenge will run for three months, during which three agritech innovators to be awarded the top prizes (winner, first runner-up, second runner-up). This will be followed by the identification of the top-10 agritech innovators and the second stage will identify the top-5 agritech innovators. The top three enterprises will be awarded cash prizes at a pitch and awards ceremony. The first stage of the challenge will identify the top 10 agritech innovators. The second stage will identify the top 5 agritech innovators. The top three enterprises will be awarded cash prizes at a pitch and awards ceremony.
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Only enterprises already registered in Nigeria or currently being registered are eligible to apply for this program. The CEOs or Co-founders of AgriTech businesses/companies in Nigeria.
Enterprises in early-stage start-up (fewer than three years old). Priority will be given to start-ups with a minimum viable product (MVP) but with no previous experience in an enterprise support program (incubation or acceleration programs etc.).
Benefits
Applicants can expect to receive the following benefits:
- Coaching and mentorship, personalized to unpack training into business implementation for the top-5 finalists
- Technical assistance at the various levels of the challenge to strengthen the MVP and the business and financial model of the start-up
- Links to financial and investment opportunities
- Networking opportunities to showcase your solution and meet with investors and other stakeholders
- Cash prize awards of a total of $40,000 for the top three winners:o Winner: $20,000o First Runner-Up: $12,000o Second Runner-Up: $8,000
Eligibilities
Applicants must:
- Be aged 18-35 by the closing day of submission to the AYuTe Nigeria challenge
- Be a youth with innovative ideas focusing on the agriculture sector
- Have ideas that are proven to solve social problems and are implementable, technically feasible, economically sound (affordable), and environmentally smart (eco-friendly)
- Hold Nigerian nationality with official ID (national identity card, international passport, or permanent voters’ card)
- Produce financial statements for the venture
- Be the founder or co-founder of the enterprise represented in the competition and play an active role in its operations and leadership
- Have no criminal record related to corruption, tax evasion, financial impropriety, felony or other offences
- Have the potential for partnership and collaboration with other actors/stakeholders
The company must have:
- Been registered/incorporated with the relevant government agencies in Nigeria
- The ability to scale and impact a large number of smallholder farmers, including recorded evidence of demonstrated impact on smallholder farmers’ revenue and/or operations
- The potential for job creation and poverty reduction
- Alignment with relevant national policies and international treaties (e.g., SDGs)
- An identifiable technological innovation that addresses the following problems for small holder farmers:
- Smallholder farmer productivity
- Smallholder farmer income
- Labour intensiveness of operations
- Resilience
- Access to information
- Strong competitive advantage
Application Process
Before you begin your registration, make sure you have the following materials ready:
- Soft copy of any National Official ID (national identity card, international passport, driver’s license, or temporary/permanent voters’ card)
- Soft copy of a clear headshot photo
To Apply:
- You are required to follow them on social media @heifernigeria and @AyuteAfrica for updates and important announcements.
- This application form can be accessed on the Web or copy paste this link in your browser: https://ayute.africa/nigeria
- To access the form, follow the links provided below. Web: www.ayuteng.com
- Submit your application and wait for confirmation message via email after submission.
- Applicants will receive a confirmation message for their application after submission by email/SMS.
Application Deadline: March 14, 2026 (4 Days Remaining)
Apply nowOfficial link
