Grants and opportunities for your next phase

Bill and Melinda Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health

Demographics and Planetary Health Story Prize 2026

A global journalism prize paying two US$500 awards for reporting that connects demographic change and planetary health, with entries open to storytellers everywhere until 9 October 2026.

Eligibility: Open to journalists, freelancers, community reporters and student journalists worldwide

Deadline

October 9, 2026

Location

Africa

Funding or benefit

Two US$500 awards.

Greenpeg Nigeria Ltd

Greenpeg Technical Trainee Programme 2.0

A full time onsite graduate traineeship in Lagos giving HND graduates practical engineering and sales experience, applications close 9 October 2026.

Eligibility: HND graduates

Deadline

October 9, 2026

Location

Nigeria

Funding or benefit

Paid full time traineeship, salary not published.

AI Agents Academy

Lagos Agentic AI Build Day

A free evening sprint in Lagos on 3 October 2026 where builders, AI engineers and founders ship real world agentic AI systems, hosted by AI Agents Academy.

Eligibility: Builders, AI engineers and founders in Lagos

Deadline

October 3, 2026

Location

Nigeria

Funding or benefit

Free to enter, no prize fund stated in the source.

International Monetary Fund

2027 IMF Fund Internship Program for Economics PhD Students in Washington, D.C.

The International Monetary Fund is accepting applications for the 2027 Fund Internship Program, a paid full time research internship for PhD students in economics and related fields at IMF Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Over 10 to 12 weeks you work on an individual research assignment alongside IMF economists, applying your skills to real world policy questions that matter to the Fund's 191 member countries. The internship runs from 7 June 2027 to 27 August 2027, applications close on 5 December 2026, and there is no nationality restriction: candidates who need a G4 visa receive the supporting documentation from the IMF.

Eligibility: Within one to two years of completing a PhD in macroeconomics or a related field

Deadline

December 5, 2026

Location

Africa

Funding or benefit

Paid full time internship at 40 hours per week for 10 to 12 weeks. The IMF does not publish the rate and does not provide housing.

Green Earth Action Foundation

GEAF Ambassador Programme 2027 for Community Climate Leaders

A six month global ambassador programme from the Green Earth Action Foundation for people aged 18 and above who want to lead a community project on climate and environmental challenges, with expert training, mentoring, a global network and grants for local activities. Applications for the 2027 cohort close on 31 October 2026.

Eligibility: Open to individuals worldwide, including applicants in Nigeria and across Africa.

Deadline

October 31, 2026

Location

Africa

Funding or benefit

The foundation provides grants for ambassadors to run their local project activities, alongside training and mentoring. No fixed grant amount is published.

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UN Food Systems Coordination Hub

UN Food Systems Coordination Hub Call for Submissions 2026

A free United Nations call inviting African and global food systems actors to submit success stories and good practices for the Database of Practices, open until 31 October 2026.

Eligibility: Open to National Convenors, governments, UN entities, support ecosystems and the broader food systems community.

Deadline

October 31, 2026

Location

Africa

Funding or benefit

This is a knowledge sharing and visibility call with no cash award. Accepted entries are documented in the Hub's Database of Practices, and selected practices are featured in a 2027 Compendium.

Global Leadership Challenge, University of Oxford and St. Gallen Symposium

St Gallen Symposium Global Leadership Challenge 2026

The Global Leadership Challenge 2026 is open to 100 young leaders for a five day programme from 10 to 14 December 2026, run as a joint initiative of the University of Oxford and the St. Gallen Symposium. The application window closes on 5 November 2026 and review is on a rolling basis.

Eligibility: Currently enrolled in a Masters or PhD programme, or a young professional aged between 21 and 30

Deadline

November 5, 2026

Location

Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya

Funding or benefit

No stipend or award money is published for this programme. The in kind value sits in the training and mentorship, and the three winning teams receive fully covered travel and accommodation to the 56th St. Gallen Symposium in April 2027.

Anzisha

Anzisha Venture Building Fellowship 2027 for Young African Founders

Anzisha has opened applications for the 2027 Fellowship, a multi-year venture building programme for African founders aged 15 to 22 who already run an operating business. The window runs from 29 September 2026 and closes on 10 November 2026, and there is no fee to apply.

Eligibility: Aged 15 to 22 with a valid National ID or passport

Deadline

November 10, 2026

Location

Africa

Funding or benefit

Prizes worth $40,000 USD are shared among fellows at the end of the second year across four award categories. Fellows also receive milestone based cash stipends tied to business progress. Anzisha does not publish a fixed stipend amount per fellow.

think-cell

thinkcell Global Case Competition 2026 Fall Edition

A free, fully online student case competition run by think-cell, where teams of three to five solve a real world business growth challenge for a share of $14,000 in prizes. Registration closes on 16 October 2026.

Eligibility: Open to student teams worldwide, with university location selected from a list that includes Nigeria and other African countries

Deadline

October 17, 2026

Location

Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana

Funding or benefit

A total prize pool of $14,000 is shared among winning teams across the two tracks. The organiser does not publish the split by place.

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Animal Charity Evaluators

ACE Movement Grants Round 12 for Animal Advocacy Organisations

Animal Charity Evaluators is accepting applications for the 12th round of Movement Grants, with Africa named as a priority region this cycle. Applications close on 18 October 2026 at 5 pm Pacific Time.

Eligibility: Open to organisations whose work fits the stated scope of the round

Deadline

October 19, 2026

Location

Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana

Funding or benefit

ACE does not publish a fixed award size for this round. Both project specific funding and general support funding are accepted, and the funder decides the amount of each award after its review.

University of Sussex and the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission

University of Sussex Commonwealth PhD Scholarships 2027

Fully funded doctoral places for citizens and refugees of low income Commonwealth countries, opening in the UK in September or October 2027. The University of Sussex is inviting applications for Commonwealth PhD Scholarships covering full overseas tuition, a stipend, return travel and research support. Nigeria sits on the list of seventeen eligible countries, and the closing date is 20 October 2026 at 16:00 GMT.

Eligibility: Be a citizen or hold refugee status in one of the seventeen eligible countries and be a permanent resident in that country

Deadline

October 20, 2026

Location

Nigeria, The Gambia, Ghana

Funding or benefit

The award covers full overseas PhD tuition fees, a living stipend, return travel to the UK and a Research Training Support Grant including fieldwork costs. The university publishes no single cash figure because support is provided in kind and as costs arise.

Forward Fooding

FoodTech 500 2026 Global AgriFoodTech Ranking

The FoodTech 500 is the world's first global ranking of agri-foodtech startups and scaleups, now in its eighth edition. Applications for the 2026 list close on 15 November 2026 at 23:59 Central European Time, the run is free for every company, and the 2025 winners came from more than 95 countries, so a founder in Nigeria or anywhere in Africa competes on the same open field as everyone else.

Eligibility: Food tech or agri-foodtech startups and scaleups, from early stage to more established businesses, operating anywhere across the food supply chain

Deadline

November 15, 2026

Location

Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya

Funding or benefit

There is no cash prize. The FoodTech 500 awards global visibility, a place on the ranked list and in the official White Paper, access to a 22,000 plus contact industry network, and event opportunities. Applying is free of charge.