HealthyDiets4Africa Agribusiness Accelerator Cohort III: Apply for Kenyan Youth and Women Innovators

Are you a young innovator or woman in Kenya’s agribusiness sector ready to change food systems? The HealthyDiets4Africa Agribusiness Accelerator Program Cohort III calls for applications from youth and women passionate about sustainable solutions. This EU-funded program, run by Food Security for Peace and Nutrition Africa (FSPN-Africa), targets those aged 18-35 for youth or 35-45 for women with ideas in key areas like crop production and urban farming. Deadline: March 22, 2026. Kenyan innovators can gain skills to scale their work and attract investors. This article covers the program’s benefits, who qualifies, and how to apply.

The HealthyDiets4Africa Agribusiness Accelerator Program Cohort III aims to empower youth and women-led innovations in Kenya. It focuses on transforming food systems through better knowledge and skills. Participants get e-learning, training, mentorship, and links to experts and partners. These steps help innovations grow and reach more consumers.

Key Takeaways

• The program provides business training, mentorship, up to $5,000 awards, and investor connections for scaling innovations.
• It targets youth aged 18-35 and women aged 35-45 with prototypes in sustainable crop production, urban farming, and value addition.
• Focus areas include underutilized foods like African leafy vegetables, millets, and indigenous poultry in select Kenyan counties.
• Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis until March 22, 2026, with early submissions prioritized.

Part of the larger EU-backed HealthyDiets4Africa project, the program builds on real needs in Kenya. It supports agri-nutrition ideas that fight food waste and boost healthy eating. Innovators in places like Nairobi or Makueni can turn prototypes into strong businesses. The accelerator shapes ideas to be ready for big-scale impact and funding.

Participants gain real value from this Agribusiness Accelerator. Here are the key benefits:

• Business development support, including training, upscaling, retooling, and mentorship.
• A total award of $5,000 for the top three high-potential innovations ready to scale.
• Help connecting to funding through partners and investors.
• Exposure to markets at national and international trade fairs, exhibitions, and exchange programs.
• Access to HealthyDiets4Africa project partners for learning and collaborations.

To qualify, an innovation or enterprise must meet strict criteria. It needs to solve food system issues in these areas:

• Sustainable Innovations for Crop Production (ways to boost yields and protect resources like water and soil).
• Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture (methods to grow healthy food in small spaces).
• Value Addition and Fortification (processes to enhance indigenous foods or turn raw products into new ones).
• Storage and Post-harvest Handling Innovations (tools to cut food waste and losses).
• Training, Distribution, and Aggregation services.

The focus stays on value chains for novel or underutilized foods, such as:

• Vegetables (mushrooms, African leafy vegetables, pumpkin, or pumpkin leaves).
• Cereals (finger millet, pearl millet, or sorghum).
• Tubers (cassava, yams, or sweet potatoes).
• Legumes (pigeon peas, cow peas, ground nuts, green grams, or beans).
• Fruits (tree tomato, guava, baobab, or other fruits).
• Livestock (indigenous poultry or insects for feed and food).

Enterprises must operate in Kenya, with preference for Makueni, Nairobi, Kitui, Machakos, Kiambu, Kajiado, and Murang’a counties. They should run up to five years and have a minimum viable product or prototype. Ideas must prove uniqueness, feasibility, and sustainability.

Teams can apply too. Individuals or groups of up to ten people qualify, as long as all fit the age rules:

• Youth applicants and team members: 18-35 years old.
• Women applicants and team members: 35-45 years old.

Applications close on March 22, 2026, at 11:59 PM. Reviews happen on a rolling basis, so early submissions get priority on a first-come, first-served setup. Click here to apply. For full details, check the HealthyDiets4Africa Agribusiness Accelerator page.

The HealthyDiets4Africa Agribusiness Accelerator Program Cohort III offers Kenyan youth and women a chance to grow their sustainable food innovations with training, funding, and market access. It targets key areas like crop production and urban farming to fight food waste and promote healthy diets. Check the full details and submit your application soon to seize this opportunity before the March 22, 2026 deadline.

Frequently Asked Questions