The Ugwumba Enterprise Challenge is our idea pitching and grant competition designed to empower young people in Africa turn their ideas, skills and passions into scalable business ventures or social enterprises.

We adopted this pitching competition model because it challenges the creativity and the audacity of our young people to survive as entrepreneurs.

All applicants pass through a compulsory Boot Camp and Pitching Competitions and those with best business ideas receive both financial and technical supports from us.

The Ugwumba Center for Leadership Development in Africa is a non-political, non-discriminatory, non-profit development organization established in Nigeria in 2018 with a mandate to raise a new generation of leaders and entrepreneurs for Africa.

We envision an African continent whose democracies and economies are driven by young people and women, who are building peaceful democratic systems and successful business empires.

Between 2018 and 2023, we have created jobs for over 20,000 Nigerian youths through our support for young entrepreneurs who have benefited from this Challenge since inception. This year, which is the 7th edition, we hope to empower additional 2,000 young entrepreneurs across the country with business development skills, small grants and mentorship.

Eligibility

You are eligible to apply for this Challenge if you are a Nigerian (living in Nigeria), either male or female between 18 and 40 years of age and have an idea that can be turned into a business or social enterprise.

We do not have preference for any sector of the economy, since all the sectors are important in the growth and development of the country.

Whether you are operating in agriculture, food technology, renewal energy, information technology, health technology, telecommunications, etc, you are free to apply for the competition.

We are interested in early startups and those whose businesses are still at the ideation stage.

The reason is because, we want to serve as angel investors to such persons whose ideas would have died with them if they do not participate in an impact investment program like the Ugwumba Enterprise Challenge

It is open to young entrepreneurs in Nigeria between 18 – 40 years of age, who have ideas that we can transform into successful business ventures or social enterprises.

Benefits

Ugwumba Enterprise Challenge and stand the chances of winning any of our star prizes, as follows:
a) 1st Prize (N2 million);
b) 2nd Prize (N1 million);
c) 3rd Prize (N700,000);
d) 4th Prize (N500,000);
e) 5th Prize (N300,000) and
f) Consolation Prizes (N100,000) each for the remaining 6th – 10th finalists.
Deadline: September 11, 2024