Applications now open for the MTN Africa PachiPanda Challenge
Applications are now open for the 2024 MTN Africa PachiPanda Challenge. This initiative, a collaborative effort between MTN and WWF, aims to inspire and support innovative solutions to address critical environmental issues across the continent.
This program is in alignment with WWF’s global objectives, its Africa Strategy, and its established methodologies. It significantly enhances the Mobilising More for Climate (MM4C) Programme. The challenge specifically aids in fulfilling WWF’s primary goals of eliminating habitat loss, preventing species extinction, and fostering healthy populations. Additionally, WWF’s Africa Strategy, titled “Making Nature Count,” seeks to ensure that the value of Africa’s natural resources is fully incorporated into the decision-making processes of governments, corporations, financial institutions, and society at large.
The Africa PachiPanda Challenge builds upon the achievements of the PachiPanda Innovation Challenge, which was conducted by MTN Zambia in collaboration with the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) during 2022 and 2023. This new challenge broadens and enhances the competition through a partnership between MTN and the World Wildlife Fund.
Eligibility Requirements – MTN Africa PachiPanda Challenge
The MTN Africa PachiPanda Challenge invites young individuals (ages 16 to 35), youth-led SMEs, entrepreneurs, individuals, and organizations dedicated to sustainable development in the participating countries, as well as employees in these sectors who are seeking ways to enhance the sustainability of their businesses.
Eligibility: MTN Africa PachiPanda Challenge
The Challenge is available to individuals or teams residing in the designated participating countries. Participants may be of any age, provided they have attained the legal age of majority in their respective jurisdictions or have secured consent from a parent or guardian. Employees of the organizing committee, judges, sponsors, and their immediate family members are excluded from participation. The project must be executed within the participating country and align with the mission and objectives of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Country Office and the relevant MTN OPCO and/or Foundation. Applications must focus on innovative projects that promote nature conservation in a modern context. Furthermore, submissions should demonstrate concrete and measurable outcomes, adhere to SMART criteria, and possess significant communicative value to enhance the likelihood of approval. The participating countries for 2024 include Zambia, South Africa, Nigeria, Cameroon, and Uganda.
Challenge Details – MTN Africa PachiPanda Challenge
The challenge will unfold in two distinct phases. In the first phase, applications from each country will be shortlisted. Subsequently, selected participants will form teams of up to three members and engage in a human-centered design process during a five-day sprint week. This process will encompass business modeling, customer identification, and the development of unique value propositions.
Benefits – MTN Africa PachiPanda Challenge
Teams will have the opportunity to present their solutions to a panel of industry experts, with the winning teams receiving prizes valued at 5,000 USD and advancing to stage two—the Pan-African contest, where they will compete in the final round. The winning solutions from the challenge will be implemented to tackle urgent environmental issues in their respective countries, thereby contributing to the long-term sustainability of these communities and the African continent as a whole.
Application – MTN Africa PachiPanda Challenge
- For details visit the official webpage of the MTN Africa PachiPanda Challenge.
- Deadline is September 30, 2024
