The Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation, founded by the Royal Academy of Engineering, is Africa’s biggest prize dedicated to engineering innovation. The Prize awards commercialisation support to African innovators developing scalable engineering solutions to local challenges. These innovations show the importance of engineering in improving quality of life and economic development.
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Royal Academy of Engineering Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation
Aim and Benefits of Royal Academy of Engineering Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation
- Eight-month tailored training programme
- Two fully-funded training weeks, one in the UK and one in a major African city.
- 1:1 sector-specific engineering mentoring from the Academy’s network of high-profile engineers in the UK and Africa.
- Bespoke press coverage and communications support.
- The opportunity to present your innovation at the Africa Prize showcase event in a major African city.
- Prize pot of £85,000 available, with prizes ranging from £5,000 to £50,000.
Requirements for Royal Academy of Engineering Africa Prize for Engineering Innovation Qualification
The Africa Prize is looking for ambitious entrepreneurs from sub-Saharan Africa who have developed an engineering-based solution to address local sustainable development challenges. Applications from both engineers and non-engineers are welcome. Innovations must be in the early stages of commercialisation and have strong potential to be replicated or scaled up.
- Applicants can apply as an individual or on behalf of a team.
- The applicant must be a citizen of a country in sub-Saharan Africa*. For teams of two or more, the lead applicant (the person participating in training) must be a citizen of a country in sub-Saharan Africa*.
- The applicant must be ordinarily based in sub-Saharan Africa*; if based overseas, this must be temporary for studies or otherwise.
- The applicant must be over the age of 18 when applications close on 23 September 2025. There is no upper age limit.
- The applicant must have a high level of English proficiency, which will allow them to fully participate in the entire programme,. The application must be written in English.
- The applicant cannot be an alumni of the Africa Prize or part of the same team, business or innovation that has been through the Prize.
- Industrial researchers and establishments are not eligible.
- Alumni of the Academy’s Advance programme or alumni of the Leaders in Innovation Fellowship (LIF) programme who participated after June 2024 are not eligible to apply to the Africa Prize. LIF alumni who participated in the LIF programme before June 2024 may be eligible if they can evidence through their application why participation in the Africa Prize is necessary and/or will add value to them and their business.
Check also:
Tony Elumelu Foundation African Entrepreneurship Programme 2026
Application Deadline
September 23, 2025How to Apply
Interested and qualified? Go to
Royal Academy of Engineering on www.raeng.org.uk to apply
Stage one
Tell us about yourself and your innovation so we can assess if you and your innovation are suitable for our programme. It will take about 90 minutes to complete. This stage focuses on your technical innovation, team details, and basic eligibility to help us understand your innovation.
Stage two
This is more detailed, covering your business plan, market analysis, financial projections and commercialisation strategy. Only long-listed applicants will be invited to complete their Stage 2 applications at the end of October 2025, which will be reviewed by our panel of expert judges.
For more details, visit Royal Academy of Engineering webpage
