New program to identify, fund, and scale 100 youth-led enterprises in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ghana, and Nigeria, with $30,000 in grants for innovators addressing documented, country-specific adaptation needs.

NAIROBI, Kenya – [July 8, 2025] – The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA), the African Development Bank (AfDB), and the Kenya Climate Innovation Center (KCIC) today announced a strategic partnership to launch the In-Country YouthADAPT Challenge. This initiative, part of the broader African Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP), is designed to identify, nurture, and scale youth-led enterprises with innovative solutions for climate adaptation, aiming to unlock private sector investment and create green jobs across the continent.

The call for applications will officially open on July 14, 2025, and run till August 1, 2025, targeting young entrepreneurs aged 18-35 in five key African nations: Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ghana, and Nigeria. The program will seek bold ideas that address pressing, country-specific adaptation needs in the critical sectors of agriculture and infrastructure, with a focus on digital tools, green technologies, and community-driven models.

This announcement comes at a critical time. Recent reports from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the UNEP Adaptation Gap Report underscore Africa’s profound vulnerability to climate change. In response, this initiative moves beyond generic calls for action to strategically address documented local challenges.

“Africa is at the epicenter of the global climate crisis, but it is also a hub of innovation and determination, led by its dynamic youth,” said Professor Dr. Patrick Verkooijen, CEO of the Global Center on Adaptation. “Through the African Adaptation Acceleration Program, our partnership with the AfDB is mobilizing $25 billion for adaptation. The YouthADAPT Challenge is a vital component of this, and by focusing on pre-identified adaptation needs, we are guiding the ingenuity of young entrepreneurs towards the most impactful and bankable opportunities. We are turning targeted needs into viable, scalable businesses.”

An Evidence-Informed Approach: Targeting Specific Adaptation Needs
A defining feature of the In-Country YouthADAPT Challenge is its foundation in a comprehensive Climate Adaptation Needs Assessment conducted across all five target countries. This ensures that the solutions sought are not arbitrary but are directly aligned with evidence-informed priorities, maximizing the relevance and potential impact of the selected enterprises.
The assessment has identified distinct areas for innovation in each country

• In Tanzania, the call seeks solutions for climate-resilient irrigation, such as solar-powered pumps, and digital advisory services that provide farmers with real-time weather and market data.
• In Kenya, priority is given to solutions building resilience in agriculture and road infrastructure, particularly in vulnerable regions like the Lesseru-Kitale and Morpus-Lokichar corridors, with a focus on livestock resilience and disaster preparedness through mobile early warning systems.
• In Rwanda, the program targets challenges in agriculture and urban mobility, calling for innovations in post-harvest loss reduction, smart irrigation, and climate-proofing transport infrastructure against heat stress and landslides in areas like Kigali.
• In Ghana, the focus is on the country’s vital Tree Crop Sector (cocoa, cashew, shea), seeking innovations in drought-resistant varieties, adaptive drainage systems, and localized decision support tools for farmers.
• In Nigeria, the challenge targets the Livestock Sector, calling for entrepreneurs to develop solutions like climate-resilient animal shelters, sustainable water access for livestock, and digital tools for animal health and rangeland management.

With the context of these specific needs, the program ensures that applicants focus their efforts on solving the most pressing, locally relevant problems, making their enterprises inherently more valuable to their communities and more attractive to investors. A Comprehensive Program for Enterprise Strengthening
The program is structured to guide entrepreneurs from idea to investment:

1. Identification and Shortlisting: From an anticipated pool of over 500 applicants, 100 high-potential MSMEs (20 per country) addressing the identified needs will be shortlisted.
2. Investor Readiness Bootcamp: The 100 enterprises will undergo intensive incubation to refine their business models, financial projections, and pitches, making them investment-ready.
3. “Dragon’s Den” Pitch Events: Country-level pitch competitions will connect entrepreneurs with domestic private sector investors, including banks, VCs, and angel investors.
4. Grant Funding and De-risking: Ten winning enterprises (two per country) will each receive $30,000 in funding ($10,000 grant and $20,000 in de-risking support) to catalyze growth.
5. Global Showcase: Winners will be showcased at COP30 and join the prestigious YouthADAPT Alumni Network.

A Catalyst for KCIC’s Pan-African Vision
For the Kenya Climate Innovation Center, this program is a cornerstone of its new strategic dispensation. Evolving from a national hub to a continental force, KCIC’s mission is to catalyze climate entrepreneurship across Africa, with a vision of fostering sustainable enterprises and climate-resilient communities.
Joseph Murabula, Chief Executive Officer of KCIC, emphasized the program’s alignment with their new strategy.

“KCIC is moving to a continental mandate, and this partnership with GCA and AfDB is the perfect vehicle to drive that change. This evidence-based model—identifying specific needs first, then catalyzing solutions—is the blueprint for our continental expansion. By implementing the YouthADAPT Challenge in this targeted manner, we are building replicable models for enterprise support that are directly responsive to local realities. This is how we realize our vision of a resilient Africa, driven by the purposeful innovation of its youth.”

Young entrepreneurs in the specified countries and sectors are encouraged to prepare for the upcoming call for applications. More information can be found on the official GCA and KCIC websites.

About the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA):
The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) is an international organization that works as a solutions broker to accelerate action and support for adaptation solutions, from the international to the local, in partnership with the public and private sectors.

About the African Development Bank (AfDB):
The African Development Bank Group is a multilateral development finance institution. Its objective is to foster sustainable economic development and social progress of its regional members, thus contributing to poverty reduction.

About the Kenya Climate Innovation Center (KCIC):
The Kenya Climate Innovation Center (KCIC) is a leading organization in Africa providing incubation, capacity building, and financing to enterprises and entrepreneurs in the green economy. With a new Pan-African mandate, KCIC is dedicated to catalyzing climate entrepreneurship across the continent to build sustainable enterprises and resilient communities.

Media Contact: Ernest Chitechi (communication@kenyacic.org, 0703 034 701)