Deadline: May 11, 2026.

The Green RISE Africa (Resilient Impact through Sustainable Entrepreneurship) Fellowship delivered by Acumen Canada (together with Acumen Fund, Inc. and its affiliates, “Acumen”) in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation is designed to equip women and youth living in poverty to build a more inclusive and sustainable green economy. Throughout the Fellowship, entrepreneurs gain practical tools, frameworks, and community to strengthen their leadership capacity, refine their business models, expand inclusive green jobs, and grow climate-aligned solutions across the region. 

The Green RISE West Africa Fellowship is open to entrepreneurs working in Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and The Gambia who are driving climate solutions and solving problems of poverty by creating dignified work and green job opportunities for young rural women and youth.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

• You lead an enterprise that provides a green-focused good or service that has demonstrated the capacity to solve problems of poverty and has created work opportunities for young rural women and youth below the age of 35.
  • Work opportunities can include full-time employment, part-time or seasonal working opportunities, and/or creating income-generating opportunities for micro/nanopreneurs within the value chain.
  • You have a minimum of 5 full-time employees.
• You have demonstrable traction over the last 12-months.
• You have a minimum of 5 years of professional experience and are able to demonstrate your commitment to solving issues of poverty.
• You are based and operating in West Africa (Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria, Liberia, The Gambia).
• You can provide evidence that your leadership supports efforts to make the enterprise more environmentally sustainable and inclusive.
• You have a reliable internet connection and will be fully available to participate throughout the entirety of the program.

BENEFITS

1. Through the program curriculum and a supportive cohort, participants develop the leadership and enterprise-building skills required to grow resilient green businesses. Fellows build moral leadership by strengthening their self-awareness, ability to lead teams, navigate values in tension, and communicate their vision. They also develop the tools to design business models that create inclusive green job opportunities and deliver long-term social and environmental impact. 
2. Participants leave the program better equipped to grow their enterprises, motivate teams, navigate complex stakeholder relationships, and build solutions that strengthen both livelihoods and climate resilience. 
3. Upon successful completion of the program, Fellows join the Foundry, Acumen’s global community of more than 2,000 alumni social entrepreneurs and leaders. Through the Foundry, we provide Fellows with the lifelong tools and community to build and scale their enterprises. 
4. Get training on how to create dignified and sustainable green-sector jobs for women and youth across your value chain
5. Get the chance to enroll in the Green RISE Africa Accelerator program to strengthen your business model.
6. Opportunities to receive funding for projects through Angels Green RISE Africa to increase impact.
7. While the Fellowship is fully-funded for Fellow Candidates, they don’t provide any funding or additional benefits as part of the program. However, after the Fellowship, Fellows will have the opportunity to access funding for projects through Angels Green RISE Africa to increase impact and apply to follow-on Accelerator programs to further strengthen their business models.

Find more information on the OFFICIAL WEBSITE