How Nigerians can apply for ECOWAS $65,000 startup award

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The Economic Community of West African States has opened applications for the second edition of its Startup Awards, offering cash prizes totaling $65,000 to startups from across the region, including Nigeria.

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ECOWAS Commission announced the award on its X handle on Monday, saying it aims to identify, celebrate and scale innovative startups while advancing digital entrepreneurship, innovation and economic integration in West Africa.

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The second edition follows the inaugural event held in Niamey, Niger, in November 2021.

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Applications opened on August 3 2026 and close on August 31 2026.

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Selected startups will participate in virtual masterclasses from September 21–25, 2026, followed by a physical event in Abuja from September 28–30, culminating in the regional finals on September 30.

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The programme targets 60 startups from the 12 ECOWAS member states across six sectors: EdTech and Skills Development; FinTech; HealthTech; AgriTech and Food Systems; CleanTech, Climate and Green Innovation; and Tourism, Hospitality and TravelTech.

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Prizes and benefits

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Winners will receive 20,000 for the first runner-up and $15,000 for the second runner-up.

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Additional benefits include regional visibility across member states, access to investors through deal rooms, networking with founders, policymakers and development partners, a six-month post-award acceleration and mentorship programme, and digital tools such as computers, accessories and software.

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Eligibility for Nigerian applicants

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To qualify, applicants must:

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• Be citizens of an ECOWAS member state (Nigeria inclusive);
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• Operate a startup registered and based in an ECOWAS country;
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• Have a minimum of two years of operations;
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• Demonstrate a working product or service;
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• Show evidence of market traction or scalability; and
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• Submit all required documentation.
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How to apply

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Interested Nigerians should visit the official application portal at https://ecowasstartupawards.ipawas.org/.

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Create an account by providing full name, email address, telephone number (optional but recommended) and a password of at least 10 characters.

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Once registered, applicants can log in to the dashboard and start a new application.

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The form covers Sections A through J and can be saved as a draft at any point.

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• Required documents include:
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• National passport or ECOWAS-approved identity document of the lead founder;
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• Recent passport photograph;
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• Business registration certificate (issued in an ECOWAS member state, if applicable);
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• Two years of financial statements, management accounts or projections;
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• Business plan (maximum 10 pages, single spacing, Times New Roman 12);
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• Pitch deck (maximum 10 slides); and
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• One-minute pitch video (MP4, MOV or WebM, maximum 100 MB).
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Selection process

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Selection occurs in two phases. In the national selection phase, each member state nominates half of its allocated slots while the remaining half comes from open public applications.

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Finalists then proceed to the regional finals in Abuja, where they pitch before an independent jury of industry experts, investors and policy stakeholders.

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Applications are scored on criteria including problem clarity and solution fit (20%), innovation and originality (20%), team capacity and execution ability (15%), market potential and scalability (10%), business model and financial viability (10%), social and economic impact (10%), alignment with ECOWAS priorities (10%), and pitch/online voting/data integrity (5%).

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