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GRANT
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS | 11 MAY 2026 THE FOOD & ENERGY SOVEREIGNTY CHALLENGE
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For decades, Africa’s economic trajectory has been defined by reactive adaptation to external
geopolitical shocks and the structural vulnerabilities of asymmetrical integration into global value
chains.
The escalating security crisis in the Gulf and the disruption of the Strait of Hormuz, a corridor vital for
nearly 30% of global hydrocarbon and agricultural trade, constitute a definitive inflection point. This
instability exposes the terminal limits of import-dependent food and energy security models,
necessitating an urgent transition toward endogenous resilience.
In alignment with the strategic imperatives of Agenda 2063, this "Call for Solutions" serves as a
catalyst for a sovereign industrial shift and a paradigm shift from reactive scarcity management
toward active resilience. Its mandate is to deploy African technological innovation to architect self-
sufficient food and energy systems, transforming local technological dynamism into a resilient
growth engine capable of substituting imports and ensuring the continent’s resilience against global
supply chain disruptions
The Food & Energy Sovereignty Challenge
This Call for Solutions constitutes a large-scale industrial mobilization aimed at propelling African
technological ingenuity to secure the continent’s food and energy future. We are mobilizing the
“Sovereignty Builders”: an elite cohort of high-growth SMEs, Startups, and Deeptech companies
possessing the technical maturity to transform proof-of-concepts into structural pillars of the African
continental market.
geopolitical shocks and the structural vulnerabilities of asymmetrical integration into global value
chains.
The escalating security crisis in the Gulf and the disruption of the Strait of Hormuz, a corridor vital for
nearly 30% of global hydrocarbon and agricultural trade, constitute a definitive inflection point. This
instability exposes the terminal limits of import-dependent food and energy security models,
necessitating an urgent transition toward endogenous resilience.
In alignment with the strategic imperatives of Agenda 2063, this "Call for Solutions" serves as a
catalyst for a sovereign industrial shift and a paradigm shift from reactive scarcity management
toward active resilience. Its mandate is to deploy African technological innovation to architect self-
sufficient food and energy systems, transforming local technological dynamism into a resilient
growth engine capable of substituting imports and ensuring the continent’s resilience against global
supply chain disruptions
The Food & Energy Sovereignty Challenge
This Call for Solutions constitutes a large-scale industrial mobilization aimed at propelling African
technological ingenuity to secure the continent’s food and energy future. We are mobilizing the
“Sovereignty Builders”: an elite cohort of high-growth SMEs, Startups, and Deeptech companies
possessing the technical maturity to transform proof-of-concepts into structural pillars of the African
continental market.
Program Specification
Applications will be accepted from citizens of AU Member States leading an organization that meets
the following mandatory requirements:
1. Nationality and Ownership: The company must be at least 51% owned by African citizens
(whether residing on the continent or part of the diaspora).
2. Legal Standing: The entity must be legally registered.
3. Technological Maturity: The solution must have a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 6 or
higher (proven prototypes or market-active solutions).
4. Sector Alignment: The innovation must strictly focus on either Food Sovereignty or Energy
Sovereignty as defined in the Challenge tracks.
the following mandatory requirements:
1. Nationality and Ownership: The company must be at least 51% owned by African citizens
(whether residing on the continent or part of the diaspora).
2. Legal Standing: The entity must be legally registered.
3. Technological Maturity: The solution must have a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 6 or
higher (proven prototypes or market-active solutions).
4. Sector Alignment: The innovation must strictly focus on either Food Sovereignty or Energy
Sovereignty as defined in the Challenge tracks.
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