Land Accelerator Africa

Applications for the Land Accelerator Africa 2024 are now closed. To become a mentor for the program, please apply here.

The Land Accelerator’s 2024 Offerings in Africa

This year, the Land Accelerator in Africa will offer two simultaneous programs: the continental Land Accelerator Africa and the Land Accelerator Landscapes. Aligning with the Restore Local project, this second program will focus on three vital landscapes: Kenya’s Greater Rift Valley; the Lake Kivu & Rusizi River Basin of Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda; and the Ghana Cocoa Belt.

The Land Accelerator team will select 100 companies to join the Land Accelerator Africa and an additional 260 businesses to join the Landscapes program. Those applying from the three landscapes may be sorted into either program depending on their eligibility. All companies will start with the same 12-week virtual training program, with further in-person training opportunities available for selected cohort members.

The application is free of charge. We invite all entrepreneurs whose businesses restore land in any of the 34 AFR100 Initiative countries to apply, including those who may not traditionally define themselves as restoration enterprises.

By the end of the three-month program, all participants will have access to the knowledge and tools needed to complete a compelling one-minute business pitch, an investor pitch deck, a financial model, a website, and an impact measurement and marketing plan.

Learn more about the Land Accelerator program, benefits, eligibility and more in our informational help center.

The Land Accelerator in Africa

 In 2018, World Resources Institute (WRI) and Fledge launched the Land Accelerator Africa to support the African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative (AFR100). This continent-wide program is implemented in close collaboration with the AFR100 secretariat, AUDA-NEPAD and Barka.

To support the AFR100 Initiative’s goal of restoring 100 million hectares of land by 2030, the Land Accelerator provides entrepreneurs who restore land across Africa with mentorship and networking opportunities, technical training and workshops to build up their storytelling and pitching skills.

Participants leave the program more empowered to connect with potential investors so that they can take their restoration business to the next stage of growth. The program has attracted nearly 3,400 applicants in Africa since 2018, and its 293 alumni from 45 countries report that they have created over 9,000 jobs, worked with 250,000 farmers and restored 201,000 hectares.

Past Cohorts

The 2023 Land Accelerator Africa | Virtual and in Lilongwe, Malawi | October 2023

This Land Accelerator Africa cohort had 97 restoration companies complete the accelerator training. The selected Top 16 entrepreneurs gathered for workshops, networking, and a Demo Day in Lilongwe, Malawi. Watch them pitch!

The 2022 Land Accelerator Africa | Virtual and in Kigali, Rwanda | October 2022

The Land Accelerator Africa worked with 100 local businesses from 27 countries for its fourth cohort. The top 16 entrepreneurs received a $2,500 innovation grant and presented their businesses to a room of investors in Kigali, Rwanda in October 2022, as part of the Land Accelerator Impact Days 2022. Watch them pitch!

The 2021 Land Accelerator Africa | Virtual and Nairobi, Kenya | November 2021

The Land Accelerator Africa worked with 78 local businesses from 27 countries for its third cohort. Each entrepreneur received a $5,000 innovation grant, and the top 15 presented their businesses to a virtual room of investors. They also came together in Nairobi for a week-long training. Watch them pitch!

The 2019 Land Accelerator Africa | Nairobi, Kenya | September 2019

Out of the 335 businesses that applied to the 2019 Land Accelerator, 14 entrepreneurs from 8 African countries joined us in Nairobi. After a week of training from investors, alumni, and technical experts, they pitched to a room full of investors and entrepreneurs. Watch their pitches here!

Land Accelerator Niger | Niamey, Niger | March 2019

WRI convened 11 Nigerien restoration entrepreneurs to accelerate investment in the country’s promising agriculture sector. Over this two-day workshop, the participants learned how to integrate resilience to climate change into their business models and present their companies to impact investors.

The 2018 Land Accelerator Africa | Nairobi, Kenya | December 2018

The first Land Accelerator brought together 12 restoration entrepreneurs from across Africa to Nairobi to learn how to scale up their businesses. Some have already seen success: One business raised $100,000 and received several large orders, while another won a $10,000 cash prize for its pitch. Learn more here.

Visit the Land Accelerator 2024 Help Center to learn more about this year’s program and apply.

The 2024 Land Accelerator Africa is supported by funding from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) and Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The Land Accelerator Landscapes delivers capacity to the restoration companies in support of the Restore Local project and its target landscapes.

The DOEN Foundation provided the anchor funding for the first Land Accelerator Africa held in 2018, which allowed the program to develop ever since.

Partners

Learn more about the partners of the Land Accelerator in Africa here.

Land Accelerator Landscapes Program Partners