GAIN, others launch innovation challenge for West Africa youth agripreneurs

With millions facing poor access to affordable fruits and vegetables across West Africa, the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition and partners, including ECOWAS, have launched a new innovation challenge to tap youth-led ideas.

The initiative, tagged ‘NourishNext West Africa 2026: Youth Agrifood Innovation Challenge ‘, will identify and support start-ups in Nigeria, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire and Benin. The innovators will receive mentorship, expert assessment, visibility and seed funding as they develop solutions to improve food and nutrition.

The programme will culminate in a regional finale in Dakar later this year, where selected finalists will pitch for seed funding.

Speaking on the launch, Michael Ojo, country director, GAIN Nigeria, said the challenge builds on GAIN’s work to strengthen nutritious food value chains and support small and medium enterprises.

“NourishNext is designed for youth-led enterprises that are already beyond the idea stage, with prototype, pilot or early market traction.”

“It builds on GAIN Nigeria’s ongoing work to strengthen nutritious food value chains, support small and medium enterprises, and create the market linkages and ecosystem support that help promising solutions become scalable businesses.”

Francoise Sayi, country director, GAIN Benin, said the NourishNext West Africa innovation challenge will help young Beninese innovators commercialise value-added produce, plug into school feeding and public procurement, and reduce barriers that keep nutritious food out of households.

Also, Amanda Ammann, programme manager, Food Systems, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), a partner of the initiative, said young people are powerful drivers of innovation and sustainable development in the region.

“The NourishNext West Africa 2026 innovation challenge is important because it provides a platform for mentorship, expertise, and partnerships that turn promising solutions into scalable ones, for building stronger food systems and better nutrition,” Ammann said.

West Africa’s agrifood system employs over 60 per cent of the workforce and contributes nearly one-third of regional GDP, yet fruit and vegetable consumption remains far below recommended levels. At the same time, young people and women face high unemployment despite being major drivers of innovation and enterprise.

The challenge targets youth-led enterprises working on solutions in four key areas: value addition and processing, integration of locally produced fruits and vegetables into public nutrition and social protection programmes such as school feeding, market and supply chain solutions, consumer demand and healthy diet behaviour change.

Applicants must be based in one of the four participating countries, aged 18–35 years (women-led enterprises with leaders up to 40 years), and must have progressed beyond the idea stage with at least a prototype, pilot, or early market traction.

Applications for the NourishNext West Africa 2026 Youth Agrifood Innovation Challenge opened on July 8, 2026. The programme is expected to strengthen the regional innovation ecosystem, accelerate solutions that make healthy diets more accessible, and contribute to improved nutrition outcomes across West Africa.