The European Union (EU), Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS), German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), and the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) today announced the launch of the second cohort of the Investing in Young Businesses in Africa – Women Entrepreneurship for Africa (IYBA-WE4A) Programme.

Following the successful implementation of the first cohort, which empowered 751 African women-led green businesses with USD$3.99 million in funding, the partners are scaling up their impact to support more than 1,000 African women entrepreneurs pioneering innovative solutions across critical green sectors.

Applications open today, 6 October 2025, and close on 25 January 2026. Successful applicants will receive USD $5,000 seed capital, tailored business management training, a customised green curriculum, mentorship, and lifetime access to TEFConnect for sustained growth and investment readiness. Target sectors include sustainable agriculture, blue economy, renewable energy, circular economy, eco-tourism, construction, and logistics.

• USD$5,000 non-refundable seed capital to scale their businesses;
• Comprehensive business management training within the TEF Entrepreneurship Programme, including a customised green curriculum;
• Mentorship and lifetime access to the TEFConnect digital platform, enabling sustained growth, investment-readiness and follow-up funding; and
• Specialised Masterclasses led by industry experts on finance, resilience, digital growth, leadership, and expansion led by experts and entrepreneurs.

Through this initiative, the EU, OACPS, BMZ, GIZ, and TEF reaffirm their shared commitment to gender-focused economic empowerment and sustainable development, reducing Africa’s environmental impact and advancing the EU Gender Action Plan (GAP III).

“At the Tony Elumelu Foundation, we have seen first-hand the transformative power of supporting women entrepreneurs. Having successfully implemented the first cohort, we are excited to scale up our impact to empower even more African women-led businesses,” said Somachi Chris-Asoluka, CEO, Tony Elumelu Foundation. “This partnership continues to accelerate Africa’s inclusive, green economy and demonstrates the limitless potential of African women when given the right support.

“The private sector plays a key role in bringing about change to poverty, equality and driving forward social change,” added Romina Kochius, Director of Programme, WE4D. “With a project of this dimension, we are expected to drive this change.”