Digital Transport for Africa (DT4A) Innovation Challenge 2022

WRI Africa and WRI Ross Center in partnership with Agence Française de Développement (AFD) is pleased to announce the Digital Transport for Africa (DT4A) Innovation Challenge.

The DT4A Innovation Challenge is an exciting opportunity for initiatives that aim to transform transit systems in African cities by leveraging open data and innovation.

Four applicants, selected by WRI and a jury of experts, will each receive a phased award of US$30,000 to implement a new initiative over 12 months.

About Digital Transport for Africa (DT4A)

Digital Transport for Africa is part of Urban Mobility in our WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities.DigitalTransport4Africa (DT4A) represents a large, diverse network of city governments, residents, universities, civic technology companies and collectives as well as international development partners committed to building digital commons and applying the Principles for Digital Development to the goals of sustainable urban mobility and access. DT4A aims to create a movement for open transit data across the African region by strengthening capacities to work with and ... read more

DT4A Innovation Challenge

Aim and Benefits of DT4A Innovation Challenge

• The DT4A Innovation Challenge aims to support organizations and initiatives, from private companies to universities and NGOs, that are contributing to the movement for open data across the region and improved planning and implementation of sustainable mobility, particularly of the paratransit or informal transport sector.

Requirements for DT4A Innovation Challenge Qualification

Organizations/NGOs, academic institutions, and private companies that have projects or initiatives that fit the selection criteria are eligible to apply for the DT4A Innovation Challenge. Applicants must have the support of local authorities (municipalities) and provide letters of support from city representatives is highly recommended. Applicants must be from Africa or working in Africa. Only one application per organization can be submitted.

Organizations, including non-profits, academic institutions and private companies must:

• Be a non-profit, non-governmental organization, or private company and be officially registered where you operate
• Have a total annual operational budget of more than US$20,000
• Be able to complete an Organizational Capacity Assessment, containing questions on organizational governance, internal controls, accounting, audit resolution, and technical capacity, in English or in French, and receive a medium to low-risk rating.
• Be able to provide the most recent annual audit of your organization. If you do not have an audit, you must provide the following three documents:
  • A balance sheet for the most recent year and the previous year
  • An income statement for the current and previous year
  • A cash flow statement for the current and previous year
• Have at least one key project person with professional working proficiency in English or in French (oral and written), in order to be able to submit narrative and financial progress reports and communicate regularly with WRI staff.

Interview date, Process and Venue for DT4A Innovation Challenge

Applicants will need to meet the following criteria to be selected as a finalist:

• Demonstrate a strong understanding of DT4A’s objectives and clearly articulate how the innovation/initiative aligns with the DT4A Innovation Challenge.
• Describe clearly what the innovation is and how it is filling a need/gap in the city/community particularly for underserved groups/vulnerable communities.
• Explain how the innovation is utilizing open-source transit data, tools and applications.
• Describe the impact of the proposed initiative/innovations on sustainable urban mobility in accordance with SDG 11 and the four policy goals indicated above (universal access, efficiency, safety and green).
• Describe the scalability of the innovation/initiative to other geographies.
• Explain how the grant will be used within the given timeline and justify its feasibility; AND
• Provide a letter of support from a relevant government agency.

Application Deadline

How to Apply

For more details,visit  DT4A website