I n this video, Caroline Mukuhi Mwangi, the founder and CEO of Kimplanter, shares the invaluable benefits of winning the African Youth Adaption Solutions Challenge (YouthADAPT). Kimplanter is a unique seedling nursery led by youth and women that focuses on helping farmers improve productivity in spite of drought and harsh weather conditions as a result of climate change.

Kimplanter was one of the YouthADAPT Challenge, an annual competition launched jointly by the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA), African Development Bank (AfDB) and Climate Investment Funds (CIF) as part of the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP). YouthADAPT aims to harness the entrepreneurial spirit that Africa’s young people demonstrate toward creating solutions that the continent urgently requires.

After launching the competition in September 2021, GCA received more than 2,000 applications from 45 African countries. In November 2021, during a ceremony at COP26, GCA announced the 15 YouthADAPT challenge winners that would be awarded a $100,000 grant to further expand their solutions and business support through a 12-month accelerator program. More than 50% of the cohort of winners are female-led businesses.