Africa Youth Adaptation Solutions Challenge
Objective:
To scale up youth-led innovation in climate adaptation by strengthening enterprise capacity to design, finance, and implement climate-smart solutions, while providing seed funding and facilitating access to private sector investment to accelerate market entry and long-term sustainability of adaptation enterprises.
GCA’s Priorities:
GCA supports winning youth-led enterprises with $100,000 in grant funding and tailored business support through a 12-month accelerator program. This approach strengthens enterprise capacity, fosters sustainable job creation, and mainstreams gender by ensuring 50% participation of women-led enterprises. The program combines mentorship from industry experts, targeted training in climate-resilient practices, and access to investor and peer networks, enabling enterprises to scale their adaptation solutions, enhance community resilience, and train smallholder farmers—particularly women and youth—in climate-smart approaches.
Project goals
Mainstreaming Adaptation and Resilience
Capacity Building & Training: develop training materials and deliver training workshops to equip selected youth-led startups with practical skills in entrepreneurship and climate adaptation mainstreaming.
Mentorship & Coaching: provide professional mentorship, empowering them to execute their business plans, create jobs, and support continental efforts towards climate resilience.
Grant funding: provide grant support of up to USD 100,000 to support their short-term growth and facilitating linkages with potential investors for longer term growth.
Expected Outcomes
The project achieved the following outcomes:
- Created over 8,000 direct and indirect jobs.
- Trained more than 25,000 small-holder farmers on climate adaptation
- 128% increase in revenue
- 20% expanded into new markets
- $8,100,000 raised in equity and grant funding
- Five Deal rooms organized in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ghana and Nigeria
Timeline
GCA Support Status
Technical Assistance Preparation
GCA Support Implementation
December, 2021
GCA Support Completion
Monitoring
Milestones & Key Results
In 2025, the program advanced significantly toward its goal of creating and scaling adaptation enterprises in five target countries. A contract was signed with the implementing partner, KCIC, laying the foundation for efficient delivery. Key design and preparatory activities were completed, including the in-country concept note, adaptation needs assessment, and the call-for-application portal. The call for applications was launched on July 14th, attracting potential adaptation enterprises, and is set to close on August 18th. The concept note for the Dragon's Den event was finalized, with potential financiers (banks and financial institutions) identified to foster post-event investment. During the reporting period, the program strengthened its plans and stakeholder engagement framework for the Dragon's Den events. Jury members were identified, and invitation letters are underway to secure their participation. These milestones ensure that the program is well-positioned to deliver value for money, attract private sector financing, and create sustained impact by linking investment-ready enterprises to adaptation-focused opportunities.
Finance
Project Investment Value
Total Investment Value
N/A
Partners
Contacts
Lead contact
Project Responsible
Gloria Gowal-Abiri
Specialist, Youth Jobs & Entrepreneurship
General media inquiries
info@gca.orgRequest for information
solutionschallenge@gca.org