Caroline Kariuki (left) in her bamboo nursery in Nyeri, Kenya.
Caroline Kariuki (left) in her bamboo nursery in Nyeri, Kenya. Photo: Will Anderson/WRI

We are excited to announce the partnership between World Resources Institute’s Land Accelerator and the Mitsubishi Corporation Fund for Europe and Africa (MCFEA). Through a first-of-its-kind training program, the Land Accelerator identifies, empowers and invests in African entrepreneurs who take a commercial approach to restoring forests and farmlands.

The MCFEA will sponsor Land Accelerator Entrepreneur Innovation Grants for the upcoming 2021 Africa cohort. The entrepreneurs use these innovation grants of $3,000 each to spur the growth of their businesses, as well as protect and restore more land. The DOEN Foundation piloted the Innovation Grants by funding them for the first two years of the Land Accelerator in Africa. Previous participants have used the grants to fund marketing campaigns, build websites, purchase machinery, create product demonstration centers and serve as working capital.