Written by Application Deadline: May 31, 2026 | Winners Announced: September 2026
Fifteen days remain before the Agribusiness e-Academy closes its 2nd Call for Submissions. African agripreneurs with ideas in cocoa, maize, cashew, or livestock have until May 31, 2026 to complete a free online training pathway and submit their agribusiness concept for a chance to receive €2,000 in funding, a laptop or tablet, or mentorship support.
The programme runs entirely on the atingi platform and is free at every stage. No application fee. No existing business needed. AgriAxis covered the full competition breakdown, value chain details, and prize structure in our earlier guide when the call opened in early May.
This update focuses on the learning pathway itself and what must happen before you can submit.
The Courses Are Not Optional
The Agribusiness e-Academy is the online learning hub of the Agribusiness Facility for Africa (ABF), implemented by GIZ and co-funded by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development under the Samoa Agreement with OACPS.
Three courses are mandatory, and completing them in order is the only path to a valid submission.
The first two, Business Model Canvas for Agribusiness and Climate-Smart Agribusiness: Adaptation, can be taken in any sequence and together take roughly three to five hours.
Finishing both unlocks the third: Creating an Investment-Ready Agribusiness. That third course issues the certificate whose ID must appear in the submission form. Without it, the form will not accept your entry.
The full learning pathway takes approximately 8.5 hours to complete, according to ABF. That is manageable across a weekend or four focused evenings. For a structured business plan that works beyond this competition alone, the time is worth it.
Who Can Participate
Courses are available in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and selected Kiswahili. After enrolling on atingi, learners can also use the atingi Learning app to study offline, which matters for applicants in areas where internet connectivity is unreliable.
To be eligible, you must be 18 or older, based in an OACPS member country, and your idea must fall within one of the four supported value chains: cocoa, maize, cashew, or livestock, specifically cattle, sheep, or goats. Nigeria is a full OACPS member. You don’t need a registered business to apply.
What You Submit
After completing the three courses, applicants build an AgriCanvas using the Business Model Canvas template provided inside the final course module. This is the submission.
The form does not accept file uploads; the AgriCanvas goes directly into the submission form alongside the certificate ID from the third course.
Prepare the AgriCanvas fully before opening the form. Arrive with your certificate ID and completed canvas ready.
The official guidance does not describe a save-and-return option.
The Deadline Is Not Moving
The 2nd Call closes May 31, 2026.
Shortlisted applicants proceed to a full technical proposal stage supported by the ABF team, with contracts prepared by GIZ using standard partnership agreement formats.
Winners are announced around September 2026.
This is the second round.
Applicants who went through the first call already have completed certificates and refined ideas. The window narrows every day it stays open.
Register free at atingi.org and begin with either of the first two courses today. For questions about the courses, write to ABF-eAcademy@giz.de. Full eligibility terms and the official submission form are on the ABF funding page at agribusiness-facility.org/funding.html.
AgriAxis is not affiliated with ABF or GIZ and does not administer this programme. This post is published for information only.
