Bilionea Asigwa
JF-Expert Member
- Sep 21, 2011
- 16,515
- 28,487
Technological innovations for providing electricity services to rural villages have recently started to change the landscape of off-grid energy across the world, especially in East Africa. Access to affordable new forms of energy opens doors to a whole range of new social businesses and productive enterprises.
Villages across East Africa are gaining access to off-grid energy. We challenge you to come up with an idea for a social business powered by off-grid energy.
This competition seeks to find and support new entrants into the entrepreneurial space who have ideas for businesses that are made possible by off-grid energy access.
Examples of possible areas to consider include (but are not limited to):
Individuals and teams of up to three people may apply for this competition. Applicants must be:
A current student* or recent graduate (within two years) at an East African university or higher learning institution
Students across all areas of study are invited to apply. This is a youth entrepreneurship competition and applicants must be 30 years or younger to apply. Gender balance may also be considered during assessment. As teamwork is a key element to the success of a business, priority will be given to teams of two or three people ahead of individuals. Individuals may apply and may be chosen if their idea is particularly promising and scores highly across other selection categories.
*Current students may be eligible to receive practical training credit. Students from outside Ardhi, DIT and UDSM will need to contact their universities directly to confirm.
Competition Outcomes
Up to five finalist teams will be chosen to progress through a seven-week business training programme based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania to develop and test their idea, build it into a full business plan and receive academic credit for practical training. In the final week of the training, finalists will pitch their business plan to a panel of judges for a chance to win 3000 USD in prize capital to help implement their idea.
Business training will be led by The Cambridge Development Initiative (CDI). The CDI is a student-led NGO from the University of Cambridge in the UK with a proven training methodology for early-stage business development, which will guide finalists through market research and prototyping in off-grid communities based on an approach called the Human-Centred Design (HCD) framework. This will allow teams to refine their product or service, as well as the business model, in direct interaction with end customers. The CDI wants each participant to become familiar enough with the framework so that they are able replicate it themselves in future entrepreneurial ventures. This personalised coaching will be channeled into a business plan and pitch, which is the main output of the competition.
Furthermore, in closely facilitated workshops, the CDI will help finalists build core business skills and prepare their pitches as well as equip them with a versatile and useful entrepreneurial skillset. Input from collaborating organisations including GVEP, Practical Action, COSTECH, E.ON Off-grid Solutions and The Smart Villages Initiative will help ensure the course is at the cutting edge of the off-grid energy space.
If you are interrested visit: Energy Innovation Challenge 2016 (OPEN) | Smart Villages
Deadline : Deadline: 16 April 2016
Award: US $ 3,000 (Dola 3,000)
Villages across East Africa are gaining access to off-grid energy. We challenge you to come up with an idea for a social business powered by off-grid energy.
This competition seeks to find and support new entrants into the entrepreneurial space who have ideas for businesses that are made possible by off-grid energy access.
Examples of possible areas to consider include (but are not limited to):
- Mobile-phone-based businesses
- Innovative methods of agriculture processing or storage
- Waste management and sanitation
- Ideas for improvements to education or healthcare
Individuals and teams of up to three people may apply for this competition. Applicants must be:
A current student* or recent graduate (within two years) at an East African university or higher learning institution
Students across all areas of study are invited to apply. This is a youth entrepreneurship competition and applicants must be 30 years or younger to apply. Gender balance may also be considered during assessment. As teamwork is a key element to the success of a business, priority will be given to teams of two or three people ahead of individuals. Individuals may apply and may be chosen if their idea is particularly promising and scores highly across other selection categories.
*Current students may be eligible to receive practical training credit. Students from outside Ardhi, DIT and UDSM will need to contact their universities directly to confirm.
Competition Outcomes
Up to five finalist teams will be chosen to progress through a seven-week business training programme based in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania to develop and test their idea, build it into a full business plan and receive academic credit for practical training. In the final week of the training, finalists will pitch their business plan to a panel of judges for a chance to win 3000 USD in prize capital to help implement their idea.
Business training will be led by The Cambridge Development Initiative (CDI). The CDI is a student-led NGO from the University of Cambridge in the UK with a proven training methodology for early-stage business development, which will guide finalists through market research and prototyping in off-grid communities based on an approach called the Human-Centred Design (HCD) framework. This will allow teams to refine their product or service, as well as the business model, in direct interaction with end customers. The CDI wants each participant to become familiar enough with the framework so that they are able replicate it themselves in future entrepreneurial ventures. This personalised coaching will be channeled into a business plan and pitch, which is the main output of the competition.
Furthermore, in closely facilitated workshops, the CDI will help finalists build core business skills and prepare their pitches as well as equip them with a versatile and useful entrepreneurial skillset. Input from collaborating organisations including GVEP, Practical Action, COSTECH, E.ON Off-grid Solutions and The Smart Villages Initiative will help ensure the course is at the cutting edge of the off-grid energy space.
If you are interrested visit: Energy Innovation Challenge 2016 (OPEN) | Smart Villages
Deadline : Deadline: 16 April 2016
Award: US $ 3,000 (Dola 3,000)
