In 2018, World Resources Institute (WRI) and Fledge launched the Land Accelerator, the world’s first training and mentorship program targeted specifically toward businesses that restore degraded forests, farmland, and pasture.
WRI, in partnership with AFR100 and the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), is excited to announce that the application cycle for the 2022 Land Accelerator Africa is open through March 31, 2022!
We highly encourage women-led and youth-led companies to apply. Applications from all African Union member countries are welcome.
In support of the AFR100 goal of beginning to restore 100 million hectares of land by 2030, the Land Accelerator provides land-restoring entrepreneurs across Africa with mentorship and networking opportunities, technical training, and workshops to build up their storytelling and pitching skills.
Participants leave the program ready to connect with potential investors so that they can take their business to the next stage of growth. The program has attracted nearly 1,400 applicants in Africa, and its 104 alumni from 34 countries report that they have created 11,200 jobs, worked with 56,000 farmers and restored 127,000 hectares. You can learn more about their work here.
For the 2022 cohort, we are embracing an exciting approach:
- We encourage all potential applicants to attend an informational session on Feb 22 for this year's application process, focused on gender equity. Register here.
- From our applicants, the team will select 100 of Africa’s top restoration entrepreneurs, all of whom will benefit from extensive online training and networking over three months.
- A panel of experts will then select the Top 15, who will benefit from one-on-one technical support and pitch their businesses to a room of investors during an Impact Day in October 2022.
Are you a land restoration entrepreneur? Do you know one? Please apply as early as possible and spread the word throughout your networks.