Applications are now open for the 2025 British Council- IAU Enterprise and Innovation Challenge. The challenge is a strategic initiative aimed at enhancing the capabilities of Higher Education Institutions in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa.

Programme Objective

This overarching objective is to strengthen the capacity of Higher Education Institutions and increase their capability to participate and provide meaningful contributions as key players within the entrepreneurship ecosystems. The desired results and impact from the partnerships include a strengthened entrepreneurship ecosystem and improved support for young people seeking to develop job creation entities and sustainable enterprises

The programme’s specific objectives are to:

• Support the development of long-term partnerships centred on entrepreneurship and innovation between UK and SSA Institutions established with ongoing exchanges of knowledge, know-how and practice.

  Participants are encouraged to submit proposals focusing on the following themes:

Increase the employability of students and their capacity to create jobs

Strengthen HEIs with the knowledge, skills and capability to support students learning and employability ambitions and improve their outcomes

Bridge the existing gap between HEIs and industry, foster the development of relationships which will ensure that future institutional outputs (research and skills) will be tailored more in line with workplace and community needs

• Green Enterprises – Driving the green economy forward by fostering green entrepreneurship to spur technological advancements and promote sustainability.
• Digital Enterprises – Showcasing innovative tech solutions to address local and global challenges, empowering communities, optimizing data usage, and revolutionizing services through digital integration.
• Social Enterprises – Proposing entrepreneurial ventures that prioritize social impact, offering innovative goods and services to meet community needs and drive positive change.

  By championing green, digital, and social entrepreneurship, universities can actively contribute to inclusive economies and provide groundbreaking solutions to both local and global issues.

Are you a university lecturer or member of staff based in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria or South Africa. Support your final year or recent graduate students to enter the Innovation of African Universities Enterprise and Innovation Challenge

• Up to  £20,000 per grant
• Focus: Digital, Green or Social Enterprises
• 8 winning projects will be selected