LEAP Africa’s Social Innovators Programme (SIP) is an accelerator fellowship that empowers young changemakers through a holistic approach to building their capacity, connections and credibility. It was borne out of the understanding of the challenges faced by most young social enterprises, such as early-stage funding, resource and connection deficit that hamper their growth and sustainability.
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Eligible Countries
All African Countries
Who is eligible?
All of the following eligibility criteria must be met by applicants in order to be accepted into the Social Innovators Programme.
Citizenship/Residency:
You must meet one of the criteria below:
> You are a citizen of an African nation OR You are a permanent resident of an African nation.
> Geographic Focus: Your current and future enterprise is geographically located in a local community in an African nation.
> Leadership Experience: You have founded or co-founded a social venture(s) with at least one (1) year of impact.
> Age: You will be between 18 – and 35-years-old on February 20th, 2023.
> Language Proficiency: You are professionally proficient in English (spoken and written). Applications must be completed in English
> Program Commitment: You can commit to fully participating in the entire duration of the program between February 20th and October 26, 2023, which may include an in-person site visits in late June or early July, and up to 12 hours of virtual learning per month.
> Applicants must be the founder or co-founder of a venture that has not previously participated in the LEAP Africa Social Innovators programme, and only one co-founder per enterprise may apply.
> Participants should have no more than three absences in order to complete the program and graduate from the fellowship
What type of person is an ideal candidate?
Aside from the specific eligibility criteria listed above, the ideal candidate:
> is the founder or co-founder of a social enterprise or social innovation.
> One who has a clear idea of the problem being solved.
> is focused on providing a lasting, and sustainable solution to the problem(s) being tackled.
> has come up with an INNOVATIVE solution and is willing to scale this innovation into an enterprise.
> has demonstrated that their work/enterprise has had a measurable impact in advancing progress on the problem being solved.
> demonstrates respect and inclusion to other candidates irrespective of gender, nationality, education levels, races, or religions.
> is eager to collaborate and share opportunities with others.
> is open to learning from others, regardless of their experience level.
> bring curiosity and an open mind and are willing to share their experiences and knowledge with their cohort.
Application Timeline
Application Opens – November 25th 2022
Applicants must complete the SIP application form, the Organizational Mapping Tool (OMT) assessment and supply three reference contacts.
Application Deadline – December 22, 2022 at 11:59pm WAT
All applicants will be notified of their status via email by January 16, 2023.
