Applications open for the UN-backed Youth Ecopreneur Programme, with prizes and a $100,000 funding pool
Green entrepreneurs under 35 can apply for training, mentoring and a chance at $10,000 awards; last year's winners included a Ugandan founder.
PANM — Young green entrepreneurs can now apply for the 2026-27 Youth Ecopreneur Programme (YECO), which offers training, mentoring, international exposure and access to funding, Disrupt Africa reported.
The programme is run by the International Trade Centre (ITC) and the G20 Global Land Initiative of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification. It supports youth-led businesses working on environmental sustainability and land restoration, and is open to entrepreneurs under 35, with a particular focus on developing countries.
Start-ups can apply in one of two categories, Green Business Solutions or Land Restoration. Those selected go through a global bootcamp and accelerator before the Youth Ecopreneur Awards, where finalists pitch to an international audience and winners receive $10,000. Eligible land-restoration businesses can also draw on a $100,000 pool of equity-free funding. A "Scale & Impact" phase follows.
Participants also get intellectual-property support from the World Intellectual Property Organization, free legal advice from the law firm Sidley Austin, business coaching from EY and preferential access to Google's start-up programme for sustainable development.
An African winner last year
The last cycle drew more than 1,500 applications from over 120 countries. Ugandan entrepreneur Hellen Munyasa of Helton Traders Limited won the Green Business Solutions category and later secured a $20,000 grant through the PayPal Small Business Impact Awards.
"YECO didn't just grow my business, it prepared me to grow beyond borders," she said.
Alumni join a network of more than 350 entrepreneurs and ITC's wider Ye! Community of over 50,000 young entrepreneurs.
Source: Disrupt Africa, 11 November 2026.
