Blog West Africa Agri Food Challenge: applications are open until July 3rd

by Camille Loiseau, Alexandra Luchez

onJune 4, 2026

The West Africa Agri-Food Challenge is officially launching its call for applications for startups and innovators in the agricultural and agrifood sectors from Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, and Senegal.

Implemented under the International Innovation Hub (IIH) West Africa project, following the Accelerate for Impact platform methodology of the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT, this program aims to identify, support, and accelerate the most promising innovations to address the major challenges of West African food systems. In the face of food security challenges, climate resilience, job creation, and the sustainable transformation of agricultural value chains, the Challenge will support innovative solutions capable of providing concrete responses to the needs of farmers, agrifood companies, and consumers.

Discover the West Africa Agri-Food Challenge website

A unique program to accelerate agricultural innovation

The West Africa Agri-Food Challenge will select 45 startups and innovators, i.e. 15 teams in each participating country. Special attention will be given to projects led, founded, or co-founded by women, in order to promote more inclusive participation within the innovation ecosystem.

Selected candidates will take part in fully funded national bootcamps for one member per team, combining field immersion, technical and scientific mentoring, entrepreneurship training, and pitch preparation.

At the end of this first phase, 21 startups – 7 per country – will join an intensive three-month acceleration program.

Participants will benefit from:

entrepreneurial and business development support;
scientific mentoring provided by national and international experts;
privileged access to agricultural sector partners;
opportunities for pilot testing with end users;
connections with regional and international industry partners and investors.

Five priority areas

Proposed innovations must address one or more of the following priority areas identified across the three countries:

Climate-resilient agriculture, agroecology, and sustainable natural resource management;
Agrifood processing, agricultural logistics, and market access;
AgriTech, digitalization, and inclusive technologies;
Agricultural finance and financial inclusion;
Value chain organization and organizational innovation.

Who can apply?

The program is open to startups and innovators who have already developed a minimum viable product (MVP) and wish to test, strengthen, or scale their solution. Projects must demonstrate their potential for impact, relevance to West African agricultural and food systems, and ability to meet the needs of end users.

An initiative led by an international scientific and entrepreneurial network

The West Africa Agri-Food Challenge is organized within the framework of the International Innovation Hub West Africa, an initiative supported by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs through the Fonds Équipe France.

The International Innovation Hub – West Africa aims to strengthen the entrepreneurship and science-based innovation ecosystem to address the challenges of transforming and developing food systems. This two-year project, coordinated by Agropolis International, brings together a multi-stakeholder consortium including higher education and research organizations from Senegal, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, France, and international contexts, including l’Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT/CGIAR through the Accelerate for Impact Platform , le CIRAD , l’Institut Agro Montpellier, l’INP-HB/ESA, l’IRD , la Faculté de Sciences Agronomiques de l’Université d’Abomey-Calavi , l’Université Gaston Berger et l’USSEIN , as well as institutional and entrepreneurship support organizations such as Afric’Innov and DER/FJ.

Apply now

Are you developing an agricultural or agrifood innovation with high impact potential?

Join the West Africa Agri-Food Challenge and benefit from a unique support program to turn your innovation into a sustainable solution serving West Africa’s food systems.

Apply before July 3, 2026 at 23:59 (UTC)