We are pleased to reopen the applications for the 2025/2026 Cohort of the
EcoHeroes Initiative, a flagship programme of the Green Growth Africa
Sustainability Network (#GreenGrowthAfrica).
Green Growth Africa is a UNEP-accredited non-governmental organisation
dedicated to developing and implementing innovative “greened” socio
economic solutions to address Africa’s development challenges. Through the
EcoHeroes Initiative, we empower young Africans to apply their classroom
knowledge in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM), and the
Arts to solve environmental and social problems within their local
communities. The initiative aims to nurture a new generation of 21st-century
green workforce—young people equipped with the skills, creativity, and
leadership to design solutions for today’s pressing challenges.
The EcoHeroes Initiative adopts a co-creation and learner-centred
approach, ensuring that students are active participants and leaders
throughout the programme’s lifecycle. By tapping into the enthusiasm,
creativity, and the tech-savvy spirit of African youth, the initiative inspires them to
identify environmental challenges in their communities, design innovative
responses, and implement solutions that address both environmental and
socio-economic needs.
This also provides a platform for deeper engagement with youth, helping to
bridge the green skills gap, enhance employability, and foster scalable, tech-driven sustainability solutions. With a strong focus on digital innovation in
sustainability, participants are encouraged to integrate technology into their
projects and amplify impact through digital advocacy.
We invite applications from students in secondary schools across Africa to
identify environmental problems in their communities and develop tech-driven
solutions focused on these thematic pillars, namely: Waste Management and
Circular Economy, Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation, Renewable
Energy and Energy Efficiency (including Mobility), and Nature Conservation
and Biodiversity Protection.
Benefits:
Each selected team will receive;
• Micro-grants of up to 200 USD to fund the implementation of learning
projects.
• Mentorship from leading experts as technical advisors to refine the project
ideas and provide constructive support towards the implementation of
the project.
• Capacity development through curated training, hands-on project
implementation, and international and local knowledge sharing.
• Training of coordinating teachers on Education for Sustainable
Development.
• Certificate of participation for the students’ team
• Certificate of recognition for coordinating teachers and a letter of recommendation for exceptional teachers.
• Opportunity to share project outcomes with other secondary schools and
students across the globe.
• Leverage on the community, global visibility and publicity of
#GreenGrowthAfrica and its partners to amplify your work.
Eligibility Criteria
• Applicants must be citizens of an African country
• Applicants must be aged between 11-20 years as at the time of
application
• Applicants must attend a secondary school located in Africa
• Applicants must be able to speak and write in English fluently, as the
programme will be coordinated in English.
In addition, please take note of the further criteria.
Secondary School Students:
1. Student teams must be from Secondary schools in any of the African
countries. Previous teams that have participated only once in past
EcoHeroes Initiative cohorts are welcome to apply.
2. Each secondary school will be represented by a team comprising at
least ten (10) students and at least two (2) coordinating teachers. 50%
of the students in the team should be girls (this would be waived for
same sex (boys-only/girls-only) schools. However, more students are
encouraged to apply.
3. Each team is expected to identify any environmental challenges/ needs
in their local communities, brainstorm and ideate tech-driven solution(s)
to address this need/challenge.
4. Only innovative and inspiring project ideas that are aligned with the four
thematic areas of Waste Management and Circular Economy, Climate
Change Adaptation and Mitigation, Renewable Energy and Energy
Efficiency (including Mobility), and Nature Conservation & Biodiversity
Protection will be considered. Project ideas must also express and give
room for creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, communication,
inclusion of digital innovation components and other green skills.
5. The project must be completed within 3 months.
How to Apply
• We strongly recommend that you read our step-by-step guide on how to identify problems and ideate solutions before proceeding to apply.
• Qualified and interested teams are invited to complete the online application here on or before February 17, 2026.
• Please note that you will require the following documents to complete the application:
1. Letter of Support
• Secondary school student teams should provide a letter of support
from the school’s management, indicating the following: – an expression of support for the school’s team participation in the programme, – the commitment of the school to operate “EcoHeroes Clubs” after the completion of the learning project funded within EcoHeroes Initiative, – that the school has/will provide electricity and internet access; a projector, and a camera for quality and short video recordings.
2. Pitch deck of your team’s project idea.
3. Workplan outlining the activities and timeline for your team’s project idea.
4. Proposed Budget.
Please also note that:
• Upon selection and completion of the projects with the support of an
Expert Advisor, each student team will be required to share the outcome
of their project through a local outreach, which could be to other
students in their schools, people in their local communities, among
others. #GreenGrowthAfrica will also organise intercontinental
knowledge-sharing webinars where the students will share the
outcomes of their projects, skills acquired, and lessons learnt.
• Upon the completion of the projects and mentorship, each student team
will be constituted into a school-based environmental club, “EcoHeroes
club”, which could admit more students to sustain the project and
continue to engage in long-term education for sustainability. The schools will be required to operate and sustain the clubs. While #GreenGrowthAfrica will not be responsible for the operation and financing of the clubs, Green Growth Africa will provide technical support, monthly/quarterly meetings, as well as share possible opportunities with the clubs.
• A workplan of activities for the operation of the EcoHeroes Club, after the
completion of the project funded within the EcoHeroes Initiative
2025/2026 will be submitted by each school/team. The plan should
cover at least three months of club activities. These activities should be
zero to near zero cost initiative such as quizzes, debates, community
outreaches, school sanitation, tree planting activities, recycling
engagements, amongst others. Please note that there is no format for
the work plan of activities; however, it should be clear and concise. The
work plan should also highlight how the club will be operated after the
completion of the projects within the EcoHeroes 2025/2026.
