Water and Energy for Food Grand Challenge (WE4F) is recruiting innovators working on promoting local, sustainable, and innovative solutions for challenges in the water, energy, and agriculture sectors in the Middle East and North Africa.
The WE4F Middle East and North Africa Regional Innovation Hub (MENA RIH) is launching its first recruitment period for innovators with proven solutions to the region’s most pressing water, energy and food security challenges. Following the first call for innovators (November 3 – December 15, 2020), up to 25 mid- to later-stage enterprises with a proven track record, an existing customer base and recurring sales are invited to receive a broad portfolio of support mechanisms. Besides demonstrating solid operational practices, innovators must be based in one or several of the following countries and territories: Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Morocco, The Palestinian Territories, Tunisia, Sudan, and Yemen.
In addition to criteria including sales, operational standards, sound management, transparency and accountability, WE4F emphasizes the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) when assessing the innovators’ eligibility. The MENA RIH will validate candidates’ commitment to sustainable agricultural food value chains, gender balance, the improvement of energy and water efficiency, and promotion of climate resilient agriculture with strict environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria. Through this competition, WE4F anticipates disbursing $4.5 million USD in award funding (TA and Grants) for MENA, coupled with access to a regional and global network of key stakeholders.
Besides catering directly to innovators through its support programs, the MENA RIH subscribes to WE4F’s goal, through institutional and financial partnerships, to foster advantageous conditions for innovators, investors, and partners to ease the pressure exercised on businesses by various social, political, and economic challenges in the MENA region, as well as to tackle further challenges related to operational scaling and sustainable business development.
WE4F is a joint international initiative of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Foreign Ministry of the Netherlands, Sweden through the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
To learn more visit we4f.org/MENA and follow WE4F on Twitter @WE4FGCD.
