Application Deadline: Tuesday, 8 September 2026, at 4.00pm UCT+1
LOCATION: United Kingdom
The Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation, founded by the Royal Academy of Engineering, is Africa’s biggest prize dedicated to engineering innovation. The Africa Prize is looking for ambitious entrepreneurs from sub-Saharan Africa who have developed an engineering-based solution to address local sustainable development challenges.
ELIGIBILITY:
Applications from both engineers and non-engineers are welcome. Innovations must be in the early stages of commercialization and have strong potential to be replicated or scaled up.
Applicants can apply as an individual or on behalf of a team.
The applicant must be a citizen of a country in sub-Saharan Africa*. For teams of two or more, the lead applicant (the person participating in training) must be a citizen of a country in sub-Saharan Africa*.
The applicant must be ordinarily based in sub-Saharan Africa*; if based overseas, this must be temporary for studies or otherwise.
The applicant must be over the age of 18 when applications close. There is no upper age limit.
The applicant must have a high level of English proficiency, which will allow them to fully participate in the entire programme. The application must be written in English.
The applicant cannot be an alumni of the Africa Prize or part of the same team, business or innovation that has been through the Prize.
Industrial researchers and establishments are not eligible.
Alumni of the Academy’s Advance programme or alumni of the Leaders in Innovation Fellowship (LIF) programme who participated after June 2024 are not eligible to apply to the Africa Prize. LIF alumni who participated in the LIF programme before June 2024 may be eligible if they can evidence through their application why participation in the Africa Prize is necessary and/or will add value to them and their business.
Innovation requirements
The innovation must be based in a country in sub-Saharan Africa*
The innovation can be any innovative product, technology or service, based on any area of engineering defined in its broadest sense to encompass a wide range of fields.
This includes but is not limited to: agri-tech, biotechnology, chemical engineering, civil engineering, computer science, design engineering, electrical and electronic engineering, ICT, materials science, mechanical engineering, and medical engineering.
The lead applicant is not required to be an engineering graduate or student to apply.
The innovation must be beyond the ideation stage and in the early stages of commercialisation. The innovation must:
Bring social and/or environmental benefits to sub-Saharan Africa.*
Have a strong potential to be replicated and scaled up.
Be accompanied by an ambitious but realistic business plan that has strong commercial viability.
The innovation does not have to be new. It can be an adaptation of existing technology or the first application of existing technology in a new market.
The applicant must provide a letter of consent from the originators/collaborators of the IP to this innovation, where relevant.
The applicant must provide a technical diagram and photo that showcases the technical aspects of the innovation as part of their application.
* For the purposes of the programme, the Academy’s definition of sub-Saharan Africa includes all countries defined by the African Union within Central, East, Southern, and West Africa. These are: Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Republic of the Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, eSwatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
BENEFIT:
The Africa Prize offers a unique benefits package for up to 16 shortlisted participants to help accelerate their business, including:
Eight-month tailored training programme.
Two fully funded training weeks: one in the UK and one in a major African city.
Access to business and technical expertise and sector-specific engineering mentoring.
Bespoke press coverage and communications support.
Access to the Academy’s network of high-profile engineers and business experts in the UK and Africa.
The opportunity for finalists to present their innovation to a judging panel at the Africa Prize showcase event.
Prize money of up to £50,000.
