The Ministry of Youth, Sport and Art, in partnership with the United Nations in Zambia, is launching the Youth Innovation Challenge for Sustainable Development. This initiative aims to harness the creative potential of the country’s youth and empower them to develop innovative solutions that contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The primary objectives of the Youth Innovation Challenge are as follows:
- Capacity Development: Provide a platform for youth to unlock their creative potential, develop innovative ideas, and acquire key entrepreneurial skills through the capacity building workshop.
- Innovation for SDGs: Encourage the development of innovative solutions that address the pressing challenges related to the SDGs in Zambia.
- Access to Funding: Offer catalytic grants in the first phase and explore various financing models to support the testing and scaling up of selected innovation ideas.
- Mentoring and Coaching: Facilitate access to business mentors, and increase knowledge sharing and skills development among the youth.
- Networking and Collaboration: Create a network of supportive entrepreneurial ecosystem that encourages collaboration, co-creation, and knowledge exchange among youth innovators.
Key Components
- Open Innovation Challenges: A call for youth innovation entrepreneurs will be launched at various levels and categories. Due to the limited time the call will only to extended to the 80 youths that will attend the capacity building workshop. The selection process will be competitive, following which the winning entries will receive catalytic grants to test, validate, and scale their innovative ideas. Additional engagement with private sector partners will be sough towards supporting the selected startups.
- Grant financing: The selected winners will receive grant funding of up to USD 3,000 in different categories to test and scale their innovation.
- Capacity building workshop: the 80 of the most innovative entrepreneurs will be selected to participate in the capacity building workshop although the top 10 will receive the funding and recognition at the workshop award ceremony.
- Mentoring and Coaching: Access to business mentors will be facilitated through business linkages and matching.
- Collaboration with Existing Initiatives: The initiative will collaborate and synergize with existing programs and partners with the aim of linking the youth with existing opportunities.
Review Process and Selection Criteria
An evaluation committee composed of MYSA and UN Zambia will be constituted to review all proposals. Criteria for selection will be established with consideration for criteria such as inclusivity, sustainability, innovativeness, scalability, replicability, accessibility, availability for sharing, and adaptability to various contexts. The activity will ensure 50% young women in the selection.
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for the Youth Innovation Challenge, applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Must be between 18 to 35;
- Must be a Zambian Citizen, holder of a Green National Registration Card;
- Must have an existing business or innovation they would want to scale up
- Must have full proof of registration of business
Click the link below to start your application!!
