2018 African Entrepreneurship Award by BMCE Bank of Africa

BMCE Bank of Africa is now accepting submissions from suitably qualified Africans to its 2018 African Entrepreneurship Award. It carries a reward of one million US dollars ($1, 000, 000.00) plus a trip to Morocco.

When you submit your business idea proposal to the African Entrepreneurship Award, you embark on a journey that puts you at the center of a community of entrepreneurs and mentors in Africa and around the world. As a community, they are dedicated to helping you improve your business idea and achieve your goals of building something awesome in Africa.

The Award Journey is made up of 4 rounds of mentoring and starts by you taking a few minutes to submit an idea for Round 1. Once you hit the submit button, you begin a journey with real entrepreneurs who have been where you are today.

You may be asking yourself this whole time why you would be submitting your golden idea to the African Entrepreneurship Award. What are you getting out of this? They are not seeking to capitalize on ideas. Rather, they seek out the best ideas from all over Africa and empower you to plan, launch and scale your business. They will finance and help build your idea into a sustainable business that employs people, improves your economy, and impacts lives in Africa.

African Entrepreneurship Award Categories.

1. Innovation: New technology, new business model or attempting to solve a problem that’s never been solved before in your region.

CRITERIA INCLUDE

Is it durable?
Is it multi-functional?
Is it environmentally sustainable?
Is it low cost?

2. Sports: Promotes integrity, perseverance and friendship to unite communities.

CRITERIA INCLUDE

To what extent does it strengthen the economy?
To what extent does it improve health of our youth?
To what extent does it reflect values, especially integrity?

African Entrepreneurship Award Eligibility.

You, the entrepreneur, must meet the following criteria to submit your business proposal:

You must be a citizen of an African country.
You must be a minimum of 18 years old as of November 1, 2018.
Your business or idea must be applicable in an African country.
Your business or idea must include a technological component (digital, machinery, computers, ICT, automated processes, field related technologies,…)
Your business or idea must be for profit.
Your business or idea must include a social impact. You need to articulate the problem you are trying to solve as well as the solution you offer.
Your business or idea must be relevant to one of these categories:
- Innovation: An idea or invention which is or can become a good or service that creates value for which customers will pay. Ex: Using a new technology (something new to the industry), or using a new business model (new way to deliver, collect, share), or solving a problem not solved before in your region.
- Sports: An idea, prototype or startup business in the sports industry which is a Product (e.g. apparel, equipment), Production Method (e.g. supply chain), Service (education, health, spectator-experience, athlete-experience), Supplier (e.g. sources of materials, resources), Market (e.g. buyers) or Media (e.g. promotion, information).