UNITAR Opens Applications for Africa–Japan Programme Empowering Youth and Women Through Innovation and Public-Private Partnerships – Apply By 31 July 2026
The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), with support from the Government and People of Japan, has opened applications for a fully funded blended learning programme aimed at empowering youth and women from Sub-Saharan Africa. The seven-month initiative seeks to strengthen entrepreneurship, innovation, and leadership while promoting public-private partnerships between Japan and Africa under the framework of the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9).
Applications are open until 31 July 2026, with the programme scheduled to run from 17 August 2026 to 28 February 2027. The course will be delivered primarily online, with a limited in-person immersion component in Hiroshima, Japan, for selected participants.
Programme Focuses on Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Development
The programme is designed to help young professionals and women transform innovative ideas into scalable, investment-ready projects that address pressing development challenges across Sub-Saharan Africa.
According to UNITAR, participants will gain practical skills to develop solutions aligned with national and regional priorities while fostering stronger collaboration between African and Japanese innovation ecosystems.
Key focus areas include:
- Entrepreneurship and innovation
- Public-private partnerships
- Digital transformation and artificial intelligence
- Sustainable industrialisation
- Climate resilience
- Food security
- Financial inclusion
- Technology-driven economic development
The initiative also seeks to strengthen Africa–Japan cooperation through innovation, responsible investment, technology exchange, and sustainable economic transformation.
Learning Objectives
By the end of the programme, participants are expected to:
- Design innovative and sustainable business or development solutions
- Apply artificial intelligence and digital technologies to address socio-economic challenges
- Develop financially viable and implementation-ready projects
- Strengthen leadership, negotiation, and stakeholder engagement skills
- Integrate sustainability, gender equality, and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into projects
- Prepare partnership-ready and investment-oriented proposals
- Effectively communicate project concepts to investors and development partners
- Build professional networks across African and international innovation ecosystems
Four-Phase Programme Structure
The programme will be delivered through four progressive phases that combine online learning, project development, mentorship, and international engagement.
Phase I: Foundations and Opportunity Development
Running from August to October 2026, participants will receive training in:
- Entrepreneurship and innovation
- Artificial intelligence and digital transformation
- Leadership and systems thinking
- Sustainable development and SDG integration
- Market analysis
- Business ecosystems
- Investment readiness
The objective is to help participants identify practical opportunities and develop solution-oriented concepts with growth potential.
Phase II: Applied Innovation and Project Development
From November to December 2026, selected participants will receive advanced training covering:
- Business model development
- Financial planning
- Project implementation design
- Monitoring and evaluation
- Pitch development
- Partnership mapping
- Training-of-Trainers (ToT)
Participants will refine their ideas into scalable, partnership-ready initiatives capable of attracting investment and collaboration.
Phase III: Leadership and International Engagement
Between January and February 2027, a limited number of high-performing participants will participate in a hybrid international engagement phase, including a short immersion programme in Hiroshima, Japan.
Activities may include:
- Mentorship with industry experts
- Innovation ecosystem visits
- Institutional dialogue
- Networking opportunities
- Project refinement
- Partnership discussions
Selection for this phase will be based on participant performance throughout the earlier stages of the programme.
Phase IV: Africa–Japan Innovation and Partnership Round Table
The programme concludes with a high-level engagement platform bringing together participants, investors, mentors, development partners, and public and private sector representatives.
Selected participants will present their projects, exchange lessons learned, and explore opportunities for long-term collaboration and project implementation.
Who Can Apply?
The programme is open to youth and women aged 18 to 35 years from the following Anglophone Sub-Saharan African countries:
- Botswana
- Ethiopia
- Ghana
- Kenya
- Nigeria
- Rwanda
- South Africa
- Tanzania
- Uganda
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Eligible applicants include:
- Aspiring entrepreneurs
- Early-stage business founders
- Small and medium enterprise (SME) innovators
- Researchers
- Technology innovators
- Social entrepreneurs
- Professionals developing scalable development or business solutions
Priority Sectors
UNITAR encourages applications from individuals working in or developing solutions within sectors such as:
- Agri-food innovation
- Artificial intelligence and robotics
- Fintech and financial inclusion
- Climate and environmental solutions
- Clean technologies
- Healthcare and MedTech
- Sustainable cities
- Blue economy
- Creative industries
- Manufacturing
- Skills development
- Social impact initiatives
Selection Criteria
Applications will be evaluated based on several factors, including:
- Innovation and problem-solving ability
- Leadership potential
- Commitment to community or economic development
- Quality and feasibility of proposed projects
- Willingness to engage in mentorship and collaboration
- Long-term sustainability and scalability of ideas
Progression through each phase of the programme will be competitive and based on participant performance and project quality.
Funding and Certification
Participation in the programme is free of charge, with funding provided by the Government and the People of Japan.
Participants who successfully complete each phase will receive certificates of completion.
While the programme is primarily delivered online, only a limited number of participants will be selected for the Japan immersion component. Those selected may be responsible for certain personal expenses associated with international travel.
Application Deadline
Interested applicants must submit their applications by 31 July 2026. Due to the competitive nature of the programme and limited places in later phases, prospective participants are encouraged to submit strong applications that clearly demonstrate leadership potential, innovation, and implementation-ready project ideas.
VISIT OFFICIAL WEBSITE TO APPLY
For more opportunities such as these please follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and WPChannel
Disclaimer: Global South Opportunities (GSO) is not the organization offering this opportunity. For any inquiries, please contact the official organization directly. Please do not send your applications & CVs to GSO, as we are unable to process them. Due to the high volume of emails, we receive daily, we may not be able to respond to all inquiries. Thank you for your understanding.
