From students, startups, young and social entrepreneurs to small & medium and successful businesses, here are Top 10 entrpenuership competitions and awards that annually support and encourage budding and successful entrepreneurs in Nigeria and Africa

BASIC REQUIREMENTS:
-A professional Business Plan
-A good pitch
-A Charming smile.

(Talk to me for a professional business plan, I could help)

Now back to the top 5 early 2018 funding.

1.The Cola-Cola Africa Foundation Entrepreneurship programs provide students with the tools needed to prosper as a young adult. The main objective is to help today’s youth understand the importance of self-reliance and the impact they all have on the future of the economy by addressing the issue of unemployment in Africa and helping to create a culture of entrepreneurship. The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation has invested $3.1 million in programs that promote entrepreneurship amongst the youth in 12 countries.

2. She Leads Africa is a social enterprise dedicated to supporting young African women and their journey towards professional success. The SLA Accelerator is a 3-month program designed to identify, support and fund the next generation of Nigeria’s brightest female entrepreneurs and offers. The winner of a Demo Day will receive a N 2mn investment from She Leads Africa Fund.

3. The U.S. Embassy Abuja Public Affairs Section (PAS) is seeking proposals from eligible organizations for its Public Diplomacy (PD) small grants program.
PAS awards a limited number of grants to individuals, non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, and other civil society entities that further the Embassy’s policy goals and enhance relations between the American and Nigerian peoples. Deadline: 30 March 2018.
Floor of Individual Award Amounts: $5,000
Ceiling of Individual Award Amounts: $50,000

4. Shell Ideas360 is a global competition for students to learn & develop innovative ideas to tackle the challenges on energy, water and food resources.
Students can submit an idea and stand a chance to win an adventure.
Deadline: 20th January 2018
Link: http://www.shellideas360.com/

The Islamic Development Bank Business Plan Competition is a recently introduced initiative of the IsDB Group. In this competition, candidates come together to develop and further refine their business plans to launch their start-ups or grow ventures, while competing for the cash prizes! As at 2014 Cash prizes ($25,000 for the 1st Place Winner, $15,000 for the 2nd Place Winner, $10,000 for the 3rd Place Winner for each track of the competition); Mentorship; Networking Opportunities