Deadline: July 16, 2026
Applications are open for the ECOWAS Youth and Women Entrepreneurship Programme (EYWEP) 2026. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), through its Centre for Youth and Sports Development (CDJS/ECOWAS), is implementing the ECOWAS Youth and Women’s Entrepreneurship Programme (EYWEP) with the technical and financial support of AUDA-NEPAD.
This program aims to promote the economic empowerment of young people through capacity building, technical support, mentoring, networking, access to business support services and the development of sustainable entrepreneurship in the community space. As part of the pilot phase, ECOWAS is launching this call for projects to select young entrepreneurs aged 18 to 35 who already have an existing business or an operational entrepreneurial activity, and who need targeted support to properly start, consolidate, develop or continue their production.
Benefits
At the end of the process, the best projects selected from each country will be able to benefit from grants, special prizes and a connection with financial and technical partners, according to the modalities set by ECOWAS.
- First Place: $15,000
- Second Place $10,000
- Third Place $5,000
- Special Award Best Regional Business Plan: $5,000
Eligibility
This call is open exclusively to:
- Young people aged 18 to 35;
- Nationals or residents of one of the seven pilot countries: Benin, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, Sierra Leone;
- Young people who already have an existing business, formal or informal, or an entrepreneurial activity already underway;
- Start-ups, structuring or growth start-ups;
- Young developers in need of support to strengthen, stabilize or develop their business.
Selection Criteria
Applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
- relevance of the activity or company;
- level of structuring of the entrepreneurial project;
- potential for strengthening and growth;
- economic and financial viability;
- real need for support and networking;
- production or service capacity;
- current or potential socio-economic impact;
- potential for job creation or maintenance;
- motivation of the candidate;
- ability to take advantage of the coaching program.
Application
The application must include:
- an up-to-date Curriculum Vitae (CV);
- a copy of a valid identity document;
- a presentation note of the company or activity;
- a simplified business plan or a presentation of the business model;
- a projected financial plan;
- the company’s legal documents, if applicable;
- any additional document useful for the assessment of the activity.
All documents must be consolidated into a single PDF file. Complete applications must be sent to the email address corresponding to the candidate’s country.
Subject of the email: “EYWEP Program Application – Existing Businesses”
- Benin: benin.eywep@cdjscedeao.org
- Ivory Coast: cotedivoire.eywep@cdjscedeao.org
- Gambia: gambia.eywep@cdjscedeao.org
- Ghana: ghana.eywep@cdjscedeao.org
- Guinea-Bissau: guineabissau.eywep@cdjscedeao.org
- Senegal: senegal.eywep@cdjscedeao.org
- Sierra Leone: sierraleone.eywep@cdjscedeao.org
For more information, visit EYWEP.
