Leap Africa Social Innovators Programme & Awards (SIPA) 2024/2025 For Young Nigerian Entrepreneurs

Applications are currently being accepted for the upcoming session of Fellows for LEAP Africa’s Social Innovators Programme. This program is designed to provide support to young individuals aged between 18 and 35, who have developed innovative ideas and initiatives to address various challenges within local communities across Nigeria. The Social Innovators Programme (SIP) aims to identify and empower youth who are passionate about creating positive change and making a lasting impact in their communities.

Selected Fellows will have the opportunity to join IYF’s global YouthActionNet® community, which consists of over 1,100 young social innovators from 21 countries across 5 continents. This network offers a platform for collaboration, learning, and sharing experiences with like-minded individuals who are committed to driving social change and innovation.

The Social Innovators Programme is a collaborative effort between LEAP Africa and the International Youth Foundation’s YouthActionNet® program. It provides a unique opportunity for selected Fellows to receive mentorship, training, and access to resources that will help them further develop their initiatives and scale their impact.

The partnership support from the International Youth Foundation’s YouthActionNet® program adds a global perspective to the Social Innovators Programme, allowing Fellows to connect with a diverse range of social innovators and gain insights from initiatives taking place in different parts of the world.

Overall, the Social Innovators Programme offers a platform for young change-makers to not only receive support for their initiatives but also to become part of a larger global community of social innovators, where they can learn, grow, and contribute to a collective vision of positive change.

Eligibility Criteria

An ideal SIP fellow should be:

Youth between the ages of 18-35 years, whose ideas and initiatives offer effective solutions to challenges in local communities across Nigeria.

Initiators/co-founders of a social-focused project/venture/enterprise/ Foundation,
located in Nigeria.
Applicants who have been involved in operating their project/enterprise beyond 12 months prior to the commencement of the Fellowship.

Selection Criteria

We will be searching for the following when reviewing applications:

Degree of inventiveness and creativity used in their business strategy for bringing about social change.
Expertise in assembling teams and allocating resources to meet objectives.
Motivation for application: Applicants must demonstrate a strong desire to increase the impact of their change initiative in addition to providing compelling reasons for their desire to be a part of the fellowship program.

Exhibit a strong desire to bring about social change and engage in community development.

The following methods are how LEAP will help successful applicants grow their social enterprise:

Providing local and global opportunities: We assist fellows by providing them with avenues to access grants, workshops, and training arranged by our partners on a local and global scale. Through their participation in the SIPA, fellows have gained access to grants from international grant-giving organizations.

Publicity for Fellows: Throughout the fellowship year, LEAP makes use of its many online media channels to highlight fellows’ creative work to the online community.
Forming Local Partnerships for Fellows: LEAP offers fellows the chance to collaborate with companies that will assist with project execution and support services. These recommendations are also provided.

How to Apply

All individuals interested in applying for the position must complete the official application form. After the initial review, selected applicants will need to submit the following documentation to be considered for the final selection process:

1. A valid government-issued identification, such as a driver’s license or passport.

2. Evidence of the organization’s previous projects, including photographs, videos, fliers, publications, or any other relevant materials that showcase the successful implementation of past initiatives.

CLICK HERE TO APPLY