Applications have opened for the 2026 MTN Africa PachiPanda Challenge, a competition aimed at supporting young Africans and youth-led businesses developing innovative responses to environmental and sustainability challenges.

The initiative is being implemented through a partnership between MTN and WWF, alongside country-level partners supporting the challenge. It seeks to develop a pipeline of African green enterprises that use innovation and digital solutions to tackle environmental problems.

In Nigeria, the competition offers ₦5 million to the first-place winner, ₦3 million for second place and ₦2 million for third place. Participants will also have access to mentorship and business development support, as well as opportunities to strengthen and showcase their innovations.

The programme will further provide exposure to investors, industry stakeholders and fellow innovators. Winners of the Nigerian competition will represent the country at the Africa PachiPanda Finale in South Africa.

The wider Africa PachiPanda Challenge is designed to help promising youth-led ventures develop and scale solutions focused on environmental challenges.

To qualify for the Nigeria PachiPanda Challenge, applicants must be between 18 and 35 years old and reside in Nigeria. Applications may be submitted individually or by teams comprising up to three members.

Eligible applicants include entrepreneurs, innovators and youth-led small and medium-sized enterprises with an early-stage or idea-stage solution addressing an environmental challenge.

However, employees of MTN Nigeria, the Nigeria Conservation Foundation (NCF), UNDP Nigeria and Deloitte Nigeria, as well as their immediate family members, are excluded from participating.

For the 2026 Nigeria challenge, applicants are being asked to develop solutions around waste management and its environmental and health consequences. The challenge specifically focuses on innovative ways of transforming waste management in Nigeria to reduce pollution, address health and environmental hazards, and promote sustainability.

Proposed solutions may cover technology-based approaches, behavioural interventions, artistic approaches, waste-management innovations and other practical methods of reducing pollution and improving sustainability. The solutions can target business or industrial sectors.

Applicants are required to provide details of their proposed solutions in four areas. The first is a brief explanation of the idea or solution, with a maximum of 200 words.

The second requires applicants to explain why their solution is outstanding, also within a 200-word limit. Applicants must then outline the potential impact of the solution at community, national and international levels in no more than 200 words.

The final requirement is a detailed description of the solution, including evidence or proof of concept, with a maximum of 2,000 words.

For Nigeria, applications opened on July 29, 2026, and will close on August 28, 2026.

The Top 100 finalists are scheduled to be announced on September 18, 2026, followed by the announcement of the Top 25 on October 2 and the Top 10 on October 9.

The Bootcamp and Pitch Day are scheduled for October 20–23, 2026, while the winners are expected to be announced on October 23, 2026.

The challenge is particularly relevant to young Nigerian innovators working on waste management, recycling, pollution reduction and other sustainability solutions, providing a platform to develop ideas beyond the concept stage.

Through prize funding, mentorship, business development support and continental exposure, the programme is intended to help promising innovators strengthen solutions capable of delivering environmental and social impact.

Interested applicants can review the requirements and submit their entries through the official MTN PachiPanda Challenge platform: MTN Africa PachiPanda Challenge 2026 application platform

Source:msme Africa Online