July 16 at 23:59 GMT is the deadline for applications to ECOWAS’s 2026 Regional Business Incubation Programme, which targets young entrepreneurs with pre-launch business ideas.
The scheme is open to applicants aged 18 to 35 who are nationals or residents of Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, or Sierra Leone.
Priority projects must fall in 4 sectors: pharmaceuticals, ICT, solar and renewable energy, and agri-silvo-pastoral activities and agricultural value chains.
Selected participants will receive incubation, training, mentoring, business-plan support, legal registration help, and partner networking, while top projects may also win grants subject to funding.
The programme sits under ECOWAS’s Youth and Women’s Entrepreneurship Programme and is implemented by its Centre for Youth and Sports Development with AUDA-NEPAD support.