Young African entrepreneurs, youth-led businesses and organisations working on environmental sustainability can explore the MTN Africa PachiPanda Challenge, an initiative designed to support innovative solutions to pressing environmental challenges.
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The challenge is a joint initiative involving MTN and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and focuses on promoting nature conservation, sustainable development and innovative environmental solutions.
What is the MTN Africa PachiPanda Challenge?
The PachiPanda Challenge seeks innovative ideas and projects that can address environmental problems while creating measurable and sustainable impact within participating African countries.
Selected participants will have an opportunity to develop and pitch their solutions before a panel of industry experts.
Who Can Participate?
The challenge is targeted at:
– Young people and entrepreneurs.
– Youth-led SMEs.
– Individuals and organisations working towards sustainable development.
– Businesses seeking innovative ways to make their operations more sustainable.
– Teams developing solutions to environmental and conservation challenges.
Participants must be based in the participating country, and proposed projects must be implemented within that country.
Eligible Countries
The information provided lists the following participating countries:
– Nigeria
– Zambia
– South Africa
– Cameroon
– Uganda
What Do Winners Receive?
Winning teams can receive prizes valued at US$5,000 and progress to the second stage of the competition, where they compete in a Pan-African contest.
Beyond the financial prize, winning solutions may be implemented to help address environmental challenges in participating countries.
How Does the Challenge Work?
The programme is structured in two stages.
During the first stage, applications from each participating country are assessed and shortlisted.
Selected participants then form teams of up to three members and participate in a five-day human-centred design sprint.
The sprint focuses on areas including:
– Business modelling
– Identifying customers and beneficiaries
– Developing unique value propositions
– Refining innovative environmental solutions
Important: Check the Deadline Before Applying
EduTimes Africa advises applicants to verify the current application status and deadline directly with MTN or WWF before applying.
The source information supplied for this opportunity lists 30 September 2024 as the deadline. Since that deadline has already passed, the opportunity should not be published as a current 2026 application call unless a new 2026 edition is independently confirmed.
EduTimes Africa Alert
This is an important distinction for scholarship and opportunity reporting: the MTN Africa PachiPanda Challenge should currently be treated as an expired 2024 opportunity, not a newly open 2026 opportunity, based on the information provided.
Applicants should avoid submitting personal information or paying anyone claiming to offer access to an expired application.
Opportunity: MTN Africa PachiPanda Challenge
Host: MTN/WWF
Category: Environmental Competition
Eligible Countries: Nigeria, Zambia, South Africa, Cameroon and Uganda (2024 edition)
Prize: Up to US$5,000 for winning teams
2024 Deadline: 30 September 2024
2026 Status: No current opening established from the information provided
EduTimes Africa, a product of Education Times Africa, is a magazine publication that aims to lend its support to close the yawning gap in Africa's educational development.