The Land Accelerator Africa is seeking passionate individuals in the restoration space with strong business acumen to join our network of mentors. Most of our mentorship activities are conducted virtually, so participants can join from anywhere in the world.

Apply here to be a mentor

Mentors based in Africa may have opportunities to join our in-person workshops. Our mentorship roles are pro-bono, allowing you to share your knowledge and experience with aspiring restoration entrepreneurs.

Since the programs in Latin America and South Asia are not running in 2024, we are currently not accepting mentors for these regions. Please check back for future opportunities.

Impact of Mentorship

As a mentor, you will form an integral part of our support system for land restoration entrepreneurs by: 

  • Helping select entrepreneurs to join the Land Accelerator Program. 
  • Identifying weaknesses and strengths in restoration businesses and helping them scale up.
  • Guiding entrepreneurs to become investor ready.
  • Sharing resources (technical knowledge, contacts) with entrepreneurs.
  • Linking restoration entrepreneurs to markets, investors and access to finance, whenever possible.

Mentors will be exposed to a network of restoration entrepreneurs across Africa, giving them the opportunity to connect more and advise people who want to build their businesses in the restoration space.

Mentor Commitments

  • Participate in 2-5 mentorship calls, each lasting 90 minutes. You will get to choose which entrepreneurs to support.
  • Attend in-person sessions, if you are located in a city where we host the Land Accelerator.
  • Optionally, lead a webinar or join a panel on specific topics.
  • Invite 1-3 people to join as mentors.

Mentorship Call Structure

  • WRI will organize one mentorship call for each entrepreneur.
  • This is a 90-minute call where 3-5 mentors give feedback and ask questions about the business.
  • Mentors can select entrepreneurs they would like to advise (2-5 are suggested).
  • The entrepreneur will prepare a slide deck or business plan for mentors to review ahead of time.
  • Mentors will give brief written feedback to the entrepreneurs.
  • Entrepreneurs are encouraged to reach out as needed to mentors.
  • Mentors are encouraged to respond to the entrepreneurs.
  • Mentor-mentee follow-up as agreed between the two parties.

Selection of Main Mentors

After the mentorship calls, the entrepreneurs will choose which mentors they want to connect with. WRI will send the invitations to the mentors, which they may accept or decline.

Main mentor responsibilities are: 

  • Reviewing the entrepreneur’s goals and milestone plans on the first call. This will form a roadmap for the following four months of interaction between you and the company.
  • Participating in at least one monthly check-in call for four months.
  • Be open to ad hoc requests from the entrepreneur for advice and guidance.

For more details about how you can become a mentor to a land restoration entrepreneur, please reach out to landaccelerator@wri.org.