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Unclaimed
Discovery tool, not advice. Every figure is the published rule, not a decision on your case.
Grants

AECF (Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund) challenge funds

Status

Status not published

AECF runs country- and theme-specific challenge windows (for example REACT 2.0 Ethiopia, Nigeria's Energy Transition Challenge Fund) each with its own closing date, managed through aecf.submittable.com.

Open now
Amount
$1,500,000

AECF awards repayable and non-repayable grants to commercial businesses serving rural and low-income populations, historically from about USD 100,000 to USD 1.5 million per company, always with a matching contribution from the business.

You must co-fund 50%. Work out the cash you need

Funder

African Enterprise Challenge Fund (AECF)

ppp · national

Deadline: Fixed cut-off dates — AECF runs country- and theme-specific challenge windows (for example REACT 2.0 Ethiopia, Nigeria's Energy Transition Challenge Fund) each with its own closing date, managed through aecf.submittable.com.

Your odds
Not published

This funder does not publish a success rate. We rank it using the rate observed across similar programmes and label it as an estimate rather than implying we know.

Effort
major

Major bid — written case, budget, possibly partners.

You fund 50% yourself.

Who can apply

For-profit companies operating in the specific target countries of the open window, with a track record and the ability to co-fund. Not suitable for idea-stage founders.

How to apply

  1. Check the AECF funding opportunities page for open windows matching your country and sector.
  2. Submit the concept note through the AECF Submittable portal by the window deadline.
  3. Shortlisting and full business plan submission.
  4. Due diligence, investment committee, then milestone-based disbursement.

What you will need

Related reading: How grant deadlines actually work

Apply on the funder's site

Source. https://www.aecfafrica.org/im-looking-to/see-aecfs-funding-opportunities/ · not human-checked

Verified on 14 August 2026

Source: www.aecfafrica.org

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Paid, separate from Unclaimed

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