Water and Energy for Food is looking for promising and innovative businesses working at the nexus of water, energy and food in East Africa. This call for applications is an incredible opportunity for water-energy-food businesses which are looking to scale, so as to increase their impact in the areas of food security, gender and poverty reduction in an environmentally sustainable way.
About the East Africa RIH
Water and Energy for Food (WE4F) works closely with the private sector to scale up climate-friendly, energy and/or water-efficient innovations. The overall goal is to increase the sustainability of agricultural food value chains and address environmental and climate resilience in developing countries and emerging markets – with a particular focus on the poor and women.
Innovations may include technologies (such as weather forecast apps, solar cooling technologies, hydroponic farming approaches), business and finance models (such as pay-as-you-go models for solar pumping, leasing models for e-motorbikes in rural areas), and new modes of cooperation (e.g. sharing economy model, which favours access to technologies and services over ownership).
The objectives of the hub include:
- Supporting the distribution of innovations (solar technologies, apps, e-mobility, etc.)
- Strengthening entrepreneurial capacities
- Informing end-users and multipliers about innovations
- Improving access to financing for innovators and end-users
- Improving political conditions for innovations
- Accelerating the exchange of experiences on the local, regional and global level
How to Apply
Please take note of the following instructions to ensure successful completion.
- Please refer to the eligibility criteria and confirm the innovation themes before submitting your application.
- Review all the questions and prepare your responses in advance, before you start filling up the application form online. You can download the application form questions here. *Note: all applications must be submitted via the application portal. Submissions via email or any other medium will not be accepted.
- Applicants can save their progress on the application form by clicking on the “Save” icon at the end and keeping a record of the generated link. Using this generated link, applicants can return to the in-progress application. Please note that the application must be submitted before the deadline.
- All questions marked with * are mandatory, please ensure you fill them before submitting the application.
- Please attach all the required documents and include additional documents that will provide more insights into your business and your innovation.
- Each descriptive question has a word limit specified, please refer to it while responding.
- Please note that no edits can be made to the application once it has been submitted.
- The deadline for submission is 15 June 2021 at 11:59 PM EAT; however, we do STRONGLY suggest not waiting until the last day.
- In case you have any questions about the application, please write to us through we4f.apply@niras.com
- If you are facing any technical challenges with the application portal, you may request assistance from support@submittable.com
Learn More – Register for a Q&A Info Session
If you want to learn more about the programme, join this open Q&A session. We’ll share more about the criteria and application process. If you’re thinking about applying or have already started your application, but have questions – join us! Feel free to submit your questions in advance on the registration link below, or ask them live during the session. We also welcome business support providers who can help us deliver technical assistance, investors who can assist us in evaluating companies, and ecosystem players to help us spread the word.
Join the session on Tuesday, May 25th at 11:00 am EAT / 10:00 am CAT.
Join the session on Thursday, June 10th at 11:00 am EAT / 10:00 am CAT.
