Cohort 1 · 2023–2025
What young Nigerians have built
Cohort 1 ran in seven states. Here is what came out of it.
applications received
solutions bootcamped
ventures incubated
work opportunities created
Cohort 2 in numbers tracks how the current cohort's application window is going.
What it meant to them
Four innovators from Cohort 1 answer, in their own words.
Read what they say
They are not waiting for change. They are building it. What does it mean to be part of the Young Africa Innovates Programme? First innovator: It's not every day that you get recognized — the United Nations Development Programme, in collaboration with Mastercard Foundation. It is a big one. It gives us the validity to know that what we are building is actually realistic. And, people need what we are building. Second innovator: I count it specially as an opportunity that will enhance my business in a long way. Third innovator: I never believed that I will be where I am today if not them. So, part of this programme has made me realize to be self reliant, to be reliable, to be time conscious. First innovator: It gives us the motivation to keep going.
Where Cohort 1 ran
Akwa Ibom continues into Cohort 2.
Akwa Ibom
Bootcamp and stage gating ran here in Cohort 1.
Anambra
Bootcamp and stage gating ran here in Cohort 1.
Borno
Bootcamp and stage gating ran here in Cohort 1.
Ekiti
Bootcamp and stage gating ran here in Cohort 1.
Kaduna
Bootcamp and stage gating ran here in Cohort 1.
Kwara
Bootcamp and stage gating ran here in Cohort 1.
Lagos
Bootcamp and stage gating ran here in Cohort 1.
Written stories are being collected
The film above is four voices. We are gathering the fuller stories — name, state, what they built — and they will appear here.
In the meantime, the fastest way to find out whether the programme suits you is to check the requirements.