Are you interested in land restoration?  Do you have a business at a prototype or idea stage about the restoration of land, especially addressing practices such as agroforestry, reforestation, and sustainable agriculture? If the answers are yes, the chances are that you may be a suitable candidate to apply for the Land Accelerator Africa Programme 2022. Of course, you need to meet eligibility requirements as outlined in this article.

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The Land Accelerator Africa was launched by the World Resources Institute in 2018. It is the world’s first mentorship and training programme targeted particularly toward businesses which restore degraded farmland, pasture and forests.

For supporting the AFR100 Initiative’s goal of restoring 100 million ha of land by 2030, the Land Accelerator provides entrepreneurs in Africa with networking and mentorship opportunities, workshops and technical training for building up their storytelling as well as their pitching skills.

Candidates participating in the land Accelerator Africa leave the programme more empowered for connecting with potential investors so that they can take their business to the next growth stage.

In the year 2021, the World Resources Institute and its partners at Fledge and AFR100 took a novel approach to the Land Accelerator Africa. The size of the cohort was expanded to the top 100 entrepreneurs from the African continent for joining an all-virtual business accelerator. Restoration entrepreneurs received invitations for applying from all countries of the sub-Saharan Africa, free of charge.

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The Land Accelerator Africa is organized by:

►World Resources Institute (WRI): It is a global research organization which spans more than sixty countries. The WRI has more than 1,000 experts and staff working with private sector actors, community groups, government leaders, and others for turning big ideas into action for sustaining and protecting the world’s most precious natural resources. Through regional initiatives such as Initiative 20×20 and AFR100, the Global Restoration Initiative of the World Resources Institute is dedicated to restoring the health of degraded landscapes and forests across the globe for the benefit of the planet and people.

►The African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD): It serves as the Secretariat of the African Forest Landscape Restoration Initiative (AFR100), an alliance of thirty countries having committed for restoring 100 million ha of degraded land by the year 2030. AUDA-NEPAD actively supports youth and women entrepreneurs for land restoration.

►Fledge: It is a global network of seed investment funds and business accelerators helping entrepreneurs to bring their companies to scale through intense, short programs filled with mentorship, guidance, and education. Until now, they have invested in more than forty African companies.

The Land Accelerator Africa program is financed by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Mitsubishi Corporation Fund for Europe and Africa, and DOEN Foundation.

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Benefits

In the year 2021, the Top 100 entrepreneurs benefited from:

❶Weekly office hours with mentors who will lend their expertise.

❷Templates for content creation in order to help your business thrive.

❸Three months of exclusive weekly trainings from experts.

❹Weekly networking sessions for speaking with and learning from other entrepreneurs in your cohort.

❺Three months of access to Fledge’s online lessons for start-ups.

Until the completion of the programme, entrepreneurs accessed the tools and trainings that they needed for completing:

►A compelling one-minute pitch for hooking investors, potential partners, and customers.

►A 3- to 5-year financial model for visualizing their growth projections as well as for identifying capital needs.

►A ten to twelve slide pitch deck targeted toward investors.

►Confidence increase in the operations and mission of their businesses.

►An environmental indicator measurement, marketing and management plan.

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In 2021, the top 100 also had the chance for applying for a Land Accelerator investment pack, which was awarded to the top entrepreneurs by an expert panel.

Entrepreneurs who received the investment packs benefited from:

❶A coaching meeting with a Land Accelerator organizer for developing an investment and innovation grant plan.

❷An innovation grant of $5,000 or more.

❸The chance for presenting a 3-minute business pitch at the virtual Land Accelerator Impact Days, a 2-day event bringing together the investors and awardees from the African continent.

❹The chance for meeting fellow entrepreneurs in-person for a week-long bootcamp in Nairobi, Kenya and for learning from both leading trainers and entrepreneurs.

❺A ninety-minute group session with members of the Land Accelerator mentor network, who gave tailored feedback.

❻A one-on-one call with a Land Accelerator mentor for giving feedback and a thorough review of all the materials that were submitted during the duration of the program.

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Eligibility and Selection Criteria

►Applications from businesses based anywhere in sub-Saharan Africa are welcome. 

►All entrepreneurs having business model which clearly centers around restoration of land, through practices like agroforestry, sustainable agriculture, and reforestation are invited to apply.

►Since there is a need to scale companies which restore land. Hence, companies having at least a prototype (if not a service or product in the market with customers) are prioritized. Companies at idea-stage may apply, as novel, highly impactful ideas will be taken into consideration. However, the programming is tuned toward growing operational businesses.

►Small- and medium-sized enterprises as well as enterprises led by young people and women which are showing success and need the capital for growth are particularly encouraged to submit applications.

▷Businesses are chosen based on 5 criteria: replicability, scalability, profitability, and social impact, and environmental impact. The selection committee will also take into consideration other aspects of the company, such as current progress, quality of the team, and uniqueness.

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Important Dates

Applications for the Land Accelerator Africa 2022 are now open.

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Further Information and Before Applying

Candidates interested in the Land Accelerator Africa 2022 can learn more about the Past Cohorts, the Frequently Asked Questions, the application process, the application deadline, and eligibility criteria among others by visiting the Official Website or you can simply apply here.

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