Introduction
The Kofi Annan Award has been initiated by the Austrian Federal Chancellery, in collaboration with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) Innovation Accelerator, the Austrian Development
Agency and the Kofi Annan Foundation.
The Award aims to identify and support promising social entrepreneurs with digital or technology-powered solutions for people in Africa to help them build the foundations to scale.
For the 2021 Kofi Annan Award we are seeking innovative solutions from across the African continent to contribute to Sustainable Development Goal 3, Good Health and Well-Being, with a strong focus on achieving high quality universal health coverage.
The Challenge
The largest burden of this situation is carried by people in Africa. Large populations continue without access to basic health care. According to the WHO, Africa carries 25 percent of the world’s disease burden, but its share of global health expenditures is less than 1 percent, meaning few countries are spending the US $34 to $40 a year per person that the WHO considers the minimum for basic health care.
The future holds new challenges: Noncommunicable diseases like diabetes, cancer and high blood pressure are projected to overtake communicable and nutritional diseases as the most common causes of death in Africa by 2030.
Global health crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic show once again the importance of stable, functioning health systems to provide people with access to quality healthcare, vaccines and medications.
The Offer
The WFP Innovation Accelerator together with the Federal Chancellery of Austria (BKA), the Austrian
Development Agency (ADA) and the Kofi Annan Foundation (KAF) wish to support innovative solutions that address the urgent healthcare needs of people across Africa. Therefore, our offer is:
To select 9 teams that will be invited to participate in a fully virtual WFP Innovation Bootcamp, where they will benefit from the chance to work with technical and industry mentors who will provide guidance to further develop and refine their solutions.
Projects that make it to bootcamp have the opportunity to apply to the Austrian Development Agency for 3 x EUR 250.000.
The 3 ventures that are each awarded EUR 250.000 will also join the WFP Sprint Programme, a 12-month acceleration programme with access to mentorship, and a global network of partners.
The final 9 ventures will be able to tap into and leverage a network of relevant businesses, investors and mentors.
The Search
The 2021 Kofi Annan Award is seeking to support technology-powered solutions and approaches that are helping to achieve high quality universal health coverage in African countries, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health-care services and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all.
The Organisation welcome applications from social entrepreneurs with digital or technology-powered solutions for people in Africa who are addressing one or more of the following challenges:
Availability and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines (including production, transport and distribution, as well as financial mechanisms allowing for affordability)
Access to quality essential healthcare services (including telemedicine: diagnostics, data exchange between health posts and specialists in hospitals and mHealth (Mobile Health):
Availability and access to mental health services (including training of mental health practitioners, tele-health solutions and projects aiming at de-stigmatisation)
Better prevention and prophylaxis: early warning, risk reduction, and management of health risks (including disease prevention and prophylaxis and health awareness)
Improve financial risk protection for the most vulnerable (including micro-insurance solutions, reduction of out-of pocket expenses, prepayment and pooling of resources for health)
Wildcard: high potential disruptive innovations in the digital health space are welcomed to apply.
Application Deadline is 1 December 2022
Eligibility criteria
Your company must be a for-profit legal entity and incorporated for at least two years at the time of application.
Your solution is anchored in at least one African country.
The applicant must have existing contacts / presence in the country of implementation: country office or other permanent presence, subsidiary, long-term operations or partnerships in the country.
Your innovation clearly addresses one or more areas of SDG 3 Target Indicator 8.
The entity does not fall under any of the points listed in the solemn declaration
Your innovation has more than 1 million people of total addressable market
Your startup pays attention to environmental protection and climate change, gender equality and women empowerment, as well as social inclusion (leave no one behind).
Your startup is not required to make a monetary contribution to the proposed project budget.
Your innovation should have a strong proof-of-concept with initial traction and a clear path to scale.
Your application will be evaluated in equal weight according to the following criteria:
Impact & Scalability
Team
Innovativeness
Traction
Business Model
We reserve the right to adjust eligibility criteria based on the changing context as new information becomes available
Application Process
1 Applications must be submitted in English
2 To submit an application, please fill in this form by 1 December 2022.
3 If you know a relevant project for us to consider, please let us know here.
4 We will review and contact shortlisted applications for a personal interview
5 9 ventures will be invited to bootcamp and can apply for 3 x EURO 250.000 funding from ADA.
6 3 teams will have the opportunity to be awarded EURO 250.000 each, funding from ADA and will enter into our 12-months sprint program.
Supporting documents
Please be advised that successful applicants that receive an invitation to the Bootcamp will be required to submit the following documents:
Signed Company and Bank Details
Proof of registration (extract from business register or commercial register, copy of business license)
Tax registration number, copy of tax registration
Articles of incorporation
Proof of creditworthiness (if available)
Annual accounts of the last two years (if available)
CVs
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