Seven new states. One programme.
Young Africa Innovates is a partnership between the Mastercard Foundation and UNDP, running 2023–2027 and reaching 13 states across all six geo-political zones by the end of the programme.
Bringing Young Africa Innovates to seven more states
Cohort 2 (2026–2027) brings the programme to seven new states — Plateau, Katsina, Niger, Abia, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, and Taraba — with a sector-agnostic call open to innovators across every field.
10,000
Innovations identified across the seven Cohort 2 states.
1,500
Innovators provided with capacity-building support.
400
Ventures incubated with technical and financial backing.
Building on a running programme
Young Africa Innovates first launched in Cohort 1 (2023–2024/2025) across Akwa Ibom, Lagos, Anambra, Kaduna, Borno, Ekiti, and Kwara. Cohort 2 extends the model to seven new states while Cohort 1’s results remain live as a public archive.
Ready to apply?
Applications open to innovators aged 18–35 across the seven Cohort 2 states.