Deadline: 31st Aug 2022
Vijana Na AgriBiz Competition 2022 for Kenyans
Are you a youth in Kenya with innovative ideas in agribusiness? Vijana Na AgriBiz competition seeks to actualise your idea from ideation to commercialisation.
AgriBiz is an economic empowerment programme that primarily targets rural and peri-urban youth and women who are under employed and lack the financial resources and know-how to create viable sustainable businesses.
The AgriBiz Programme launched the Vijana na AgriBiz Competition in 2020 executed by KCIC. The 2022 edition of the competition will open on 5th August 2022 with a call for applications to run until 31st August 2022. Thereafter, evaluation of the applications will be done and responses to the applicants will be communicated by KCIC by 15th September 2022. KCIC will offer successful applicants a confirmation email which they will be required to acknowledge.
Vijana na AgriBiz Competition targets youth with innovative ideas in agribusiness and who are willing to show them to the world as well as to actualize them from ideation to actualization and finally commercialization. The competition will address key challenges that hinder youth from tapping into the immense potential in the agricultural sector. The competition will equally support the full spectrum of the value chain from agricultural inputs and producers, to suppliers for end consumers in conventional agriculture, fisheries and livestock.
The objectives of this competition include:
1. Fostering innovation in agricultural practices and in agribusinesses;
2. Building the capacity of local entrepreneurs especially the youth;
3. Promoting an innovative entrepreneurial culture in agribusiness;
4. Enhancing local and international awareness of the innovative practices;
5. Creating market linkages and offer opportunities for scaling up; and
6. Identifying and supporting high – growth entrepreneurs like to spur economic growth.
This competition invites interested youth with innovative agribusiness ideas. Participants will enter the competition by submitting their agribusiness idea through an online tool that will be made available on agribiz.kenyacic.org. Submissions will be accepted from across the country and per hub. The applications will be evaluated on a rolling basis.
1. Competition Launch: Once the competition is launched, the call for applications will be broadcasted. The launch will be planned in several stages to ensure that all potential participants have access to information about the competition and thus an opportunity to participate. The channels used to publicize the launch and the call for applications will be aligned to the target audience of youth.
2. Submission of applications: Applications will be submitted at the county level under the 8 KCIC Regional hubs. Application templates and procedures will effectively communicate to the participants what they are signing up for and the expectations at each stage of the competition. The communication will clearly disclose the prizes to manage expectations right at inception. An online based application process will be utilized and will be simple and easy to use to ensure the applicants have a clear understanding of all the factors that must be considered for their application to be considered as successful.
3. Selection of participants (Preliminaries – Elimination zone): After the country wide call for application.
Participants will be selected from all over the country. 5 shortlisted cases from each KCIC incubation hub will be will be selected and undergo a 3-day county virtual boot-camp and pitch to the jury. Thereafter, 3 successful applicants from each incubation hub will be selected by a panel of judges to proceed for a national physical boot-camp.
4. Semi-Finals – The 24 applicants from the 8 hubs will pitch at the national boot-camp to select top 10 applicants who will proceed to the final competitions. These 10 participants will be absorbed in the AgriBiz Program, Year 4.
5. The competition will culminate with awarding the top three finalists with Proof of Concept grant tickets as follows;
- Second Runners Up – Kshs. 500,000
- First Runners Up – Kshs. 750,000
- Winner – Kshs. 1,000,000
Benefits to the contestants
Applications will be encouraged for all idea stages irrespective of how young or ambitious it is. The shortlisted contestants in this competition will be enrolled for a boot-camp and coaching sessions which will proffer them with the following benefits:
- KCIC will support the contestants fast track their idea into a profitable agribusiness and bypass all possible pitfalls along the way.
- Contestants will learn how to raise financing for their ideas.
- Contestants will get an opportunity to pitch during the county qualifiers, semi-finals and finals of the competition.
- Bootcamp session
- 1-year incubation program under AgriBiz program
- Investor readiness training
Selection criteria
The following will be considered when reviewing the applications:
1. Entrepreneurial spirit and self-drive
2. Business or market potential
3. Innovation and technological potential
4. Feasibility and viability of the agribusiness idea
5. Job creation and social impact
6. Team capacity
7. Impact: Social and Environmental
Up for the challenge?
For eligibility criteria and to submit your application, visit: agribiz.kenyacic.org/competition/
The Project is funded by the European Union, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark (Danida), and Kenya Climate Innovation Center (KCIC)
