The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has opened applications for the second edition of its Startup Awards, with a total of $65,000 in cash prizes available to innovative startups across the region, including Nigeria.
The ECOWAS Commission announced the programme on Monday, saying the initiative is designed to identify, recognise and support innovative startups while promoting digital entrepreneurship, economic integration and innovation across West Africa.
Applications opened on August 3, 2026, and will close on August 31, 2026.
The programme will select 60 startups from 12 ECOWAS member states across six sectors: EdTech and Skills Development, FinTech, HealthTech, AgriTech and Food Systems, CleanTech, Climate and Green Innovation, and Tourism, Hospitality and TravelTech.
Selected startups will participate in virtual masterclasses from September 21 to 25, followed by a physical event in Abuja from September 28 to 30. The regional finals will take place on September 30.
Prizes and Benefits
The competition will offer cash prizes to the top-performing startups, including $20,000 for the first runner-up and $15,000 for the second runner-up.
Participants will also benefit from increased regional visibility, access to investors through deal rooms, networking opportunities with entrepreneurs, policymakers and development partners, as well as a six-month acceleration and mentorship programme.
Other benefits include digital tools such as computers, accessories and software.
Eligibility for Nigerian Applicants
Nigerian applicants must:
- Be citizens of an ECOWAS member state.
- Operate a startup registered and based in an ECOWAS country.
- Have been operating for at least two years.
- Have a functional product or service.
- Demonstrate market traction or scalability.
- Submit all required documentation.
How to Apply
Interested applicants are required to create an account on the official ECOWAS Startup Awards application portal and complete the application form.
Applicants will be required to provide documents including:
- A national passport or ECOWAS-approved identity document of the lead founder.
- A recent passport photograph.
- Business registration certificate, where applicable.
- Two years of financial statements, management accounts or projections.
- A business plan of not more than 10 pages.
- A pitch deck of not more than 10 slides.
- A one-minute pitch video in MP4, MOV or WebM format, with a maximum size of 100MB.
The selection process will be conducted in two stages. During the national selection phase, half of each country's allocated slots will be nominated by the member state, while the remaining slots will be selected from public applications.
Finalists will advance to the regional finals in Abuja, where they will pitch their businesses before an independent panel of industry experts, investors and policy stakeholders.
Applications will be assessed based on factors including the clarity of the problem and suitability of the solution, innovation, team capacity, market potential, business viability, social and economic impact, alignment with ECOWAS priorities, and the quality of the pitch.
The initiative is expected to provide emerging West African businesses with funding, mentorship, exposure and opportunities to connect with investors and potential partners.
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