Enterprise Africa Network (EAN) Fellowship Programme Cohort 2 (2026/27): 100 Fully-Funded Slots for African Women- and Youth-Led MSMEs

The African Union has opened applications for Cohort 2 of the Enterprise Africa Network (EAN) Fellowship Programme, its flagship initiative for growing micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) across the continent. If you run a registered business in agriculture, manufacturing, tech, health, logistics, or the creative sector — and you're ready to scale beyond your borders — this is one of the biggest opportunities on the calendar right now.

What Is the EAN Fellowship?

The EAN Fellowship is an AU Commission Startup Acceleration Initiative implemented by the Department of Economic Development, Trade, Tourism, Industry and Minerals (ETTIM). It's designed to give Africa's most promising entrepreneurs structured training, expert mentorship, intellectual property support, and real market access opportunities — both within Africa and internationally.

The programme's first cohort (2024/25) trained 56 fellows from 30 countries and helped them close over USD 1 million in business deals. Cohort 2 is scaling up significantly: 100 fellows from all 55 AU Member States, with a target of USD 2 million in new revenue and 500 new jobs created.

Who Is It For?

The fellowship is open to youth- and women-led MSMEs that meet the following criteria:

Registered and operating in an African Union Member State

Formally registered as a business entity

Operating for at least 2 years

Employing a minimum of 3 full-time staff

Applications are especially encouraged from women-led enterprises, businesses in underrepresented AU regions, and enterprises from small island Member States. Nigerian entrepreneurs — including women running agribusinesses, fashion brands, tech startups, and logistics companies — are absolutely eligible to apply.

Note: Current or former AU Commission staff, employees of EAN institutional partners, staff of Regional Economic Communities (RECs), and past EAN fellowship graduates cannot apply.

Sectors Covered

Cohort 2 focuses on seven sectors across two clusters, aligned with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA):

•Products Cluster: Manufacturing, Agro-processing, Creative Industries

•Services Cluster: ICT/Digital, Fintech, Health, Logistics/Transport

Fellowship Tiers

Businesses are placed into one of three tiers based on maturity, with training and support tailored accordingly:

Tier

Places

Eligibility

1 – Growth

35

Operating 2–5 years; min. 3 employees; demonstrable market traction

2 – Expansion

40

Operating 5–10 years; 10–30 employees; cross-border ambition

3 – Scale-Ready

25

Operating 10+ years, or investor-ready profile

What Do Fellows Get?

12 months of structured training across ten sector- and tier-specific modules

Expert mentorship through AU partners

Access to the African Trade Observatory (ATO) and AfCFTA market intelligence tools

Participation in continental events

Tier 1 & 2: virtual market-entry sessions across ten AfCFTA pilot countries

Tier 3: B2B matchmaking sessions

Key Dates

Milestone

Date

Applications Open

31 July 2026

Application Deadline

30 September 2026

Results Communicated

October 2026

Programme Commences

November 2026

What You'll Need to Apply

The online application collects your business registration details, sector, years of operation, employee count, countries you currently trade in, revenue range, IP status, and access to formal finance — plus a written pitch of up to 800 words describing your enterprise, its main market challenge, and your objective for the fellowship. A supporting financial document (bank statement, mobile money statement, or similar) is only required if you're shortlisted — not at application stage.

Important: Misrepresenting any information on your application leads to immediate disqualification and permanent ineligibility for all future EAN cohorts, so keep your details accurate.

How to Apply

Apply online using the link below 👇🏼 https://www.jotform.com/form/261954212716053

Deadline: 30 September 2026

For further information, you can also review the Official Call For Application (PDF) and the Concept Note(PDF) from the African Union.