Smart Africa/FAO Innovate Africa Challenge 2026 for African Startups – Applications Are Now Open

Application Deadline: Not specified (Ongoing, apply early)

About the Challenge

Applications are now open for the 2026 Smart Africa/FAO Innovate Africa Challenge. The Innovate Africa Challenge (3rd Edition), organized jointly by Smart Africa and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), is a continental initiative aimed at accelerating the deployment of Artificial Intelligence (AI) solutions to address climate and agricultural challenges in Africa. The 2026 edition is themed “From Ideation to Deployment,” emphasizing the transition from innovative concepts to practical and scalable solutions that deliver measurable benefits to farmers. The third edition seeks to identify and support a proven AI-driven solution for Climate-Smart Agriculture and deploy it within a Smart Africa Member State. The selected solution will be implemented in partnership with national ministries responsible for Agriculture, ICT, and Innovation; the Smart Africa Secretariat; and FAO country offices and technical experts.

Expected Outcomes

• Deployment of a Scalable and Context-Validated AI Solution: One proven AI-driven solution customized to African agricultural realities will be deployed, validated, and demonstrated in real-world settings. This will result in measurable improvements in farmers’ decision-making, productivity, and climate resilience, laying a clear foundation for wider adoption across Member States.
• Strengthened Ecosystem and Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration: The initiative will catalyze stronger partnerships among innovators, government ministries, FAO country offices, the private sector, research institutions, and farmer organizations. By fostering an enabling environment and ecosystem linkages, the collaboration will help break down silos, promote knowledge exchange, and build capacity for sustained digital transformation in agriculture.
• Evidence Generation and a Replicable Model for Scale-Up: The challenge will generate robust evidence and lessons learned from the deployment process, creating a replicable model for scaling AI innovations in climate-smart agriculture across the continent. This will inform policy, guide investment, and accelerate the adoption of responsible AI solutions, amplifying impact for African farmers and food systems.

Eligibility Criteria

• The challenge is open to startups, innovators, and solution developers actively developing or deploying AI-driven solutions for climate-smart agriculture
• Applicants must demonstrate not only technological maturity but also a strong commitment to strengthening the innovation ecosystem, contributing to measurable impact, and showcasing viable pathways to scaling and financial sustainability
• This call is only open for applicants coming from Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, and Uganda

All participating startups must:

• Comply with applicable data protection and privacy requirements in the countries of operation
• Apply responsible and explainable AI practices appropriate to agricultural decision-making
• Demonstrate bias identification and mitigation, particularly across gender, geography, and farming systems
• Respect farmer data rights and obtain appropriate consent for data use
• Maintain the confidentiality of all information shared under the challenge

How to Apply

Application Link: Click here

Contact: You can reach out at e-agriculture@fao.org. Please address your email by writing “Innovate Africa Challenge 2026 – questions” in the email headline.

Why This Challenge Matters

Climate change poses significant threats to African agriculture, affecting food security, livelihoods, and economic development. AI-driven solutions have the potential to transform agricultural practices, improve productivity, and build climate resilience. However, many innovative solutions struggle to move beyond the ideation stage due to limited access to deployment opportunities, partnerships, and funding.

The Innovate Africa Challenge addresses this gap by providing a platform for proven AI-driven solutions to be deployed in real-world settings, with support from government ministries, the Smart Africa Secretariat, and FAO country offices.

For startups and innovators from Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, and Uganda developing AI-driven solutions for climate-smart agriculture, this challenge offers:

• An opportunity to deploy solutions in partnership with government ministries and FAO
• Support from technical experts and country offices
• Validation and demonstration in real-world settings
• A pathway to scaling across Smart Africa Member States
• Contribution to evidence generation for policy and investment

For More Information: Visit the Official Smart Africa/FAO Innovate Africa Challenge Page