EcoHeroes Initiative 2026

🌍 About Green Growth Africa EcoHeroes Initiative

The EcoHeroes Initiative invites African secondary school and university students to participate in a hands-on environmental leadership program that fosters innovation, sustainability, and community impact. This program emphasizes youth-led, learner-centered project design, enabling students to identify and address real environmental challenges in their communities.

🎁 Benefits of Green Growth Africa EcoHeroes Initiative

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 project ideas and provide constructive support towards project implementation.
• Capacity development through curated training, hands-on project implementation, and international and local knowledge sharing.
• Training for coordinating teachers on Education for Sustainable Development.
• Certificates of participation for student teams.
• Certificates of recognition and letters of recommendation for exceptional coordinating teachers.
• Opportunity to share project outcomes with other secondary school and university students across the globe.
• Leverage on the community, global visibility, and publicity of #GreenGrowthAfrica and its partners to amplify your work.

✅ Eligibility Criteria

General Requirements:

• Applicants must be citizens of an African country.
• Applicants must be aged between 11-22 years at the time of application.
• Applicants must attend a secondary school/university located in Africa.
• Applicants must be able to speak and write in English fluently, as the program will be coordinated in English.

Secondary School Students:

• Student teams must be from secondary schools in any African country. Previous teams who have participated only once in past EcoHeroes Initiative cohorts are welcome to apply.
• Each secondary school will be represented by a team comprising at least 10 students and at least 2 coordinating teachers. 50% of the students in the team should be girls (waived for same-sex schools). More students are encouraged to apply.
• Teams must identify environmental challenges/needs in their local communities and brainstorm tech-driven solutions to address these challenges.
• Projects must align with one of the following thematic areas:
  • Waste Management and Circular Economy
  • Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation
  • Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (including Mobility)
  • Nature Conservation & Biodiversity Protection
• Projects must express creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, communication, inclusion of digital innovation components, and other green skills.
• The project must be completed within 3 months.

University Students:

• Teams must comprise 5-10 undergraduates (aged 18–22) enrolled in any accredited university in Africa.
• Teams must identify environmental challenges/needs in their local communities and brainstorm tech-driven solutions to address these challenges.
• At least 50% of team members must be female (compulsory).
• Projects must align with one of the following thematic areas:
  • Waste Management and Circular Economy
  • Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation
  • Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (including Mobility)
  • Nature Conservation & Biodiversity Protection
• Teams should demonstrate potential and capacity for scaling their project into a social enterprise or sustained community initiative.
• The project must be completed within 3 months.

📅 Application Date and Process

• Interested applicants can apply by visiting the application website.

⏳ Application Deadline

• 17 February, 2026

For more details, visit the official Green Growth Africa EcoHeroes Initiative page or apply directly through the provided application link.

• Micro-grants of up to 200 USD to fund implementation of learning projects.
• Mentorship from leading experts as technical advisors to refine 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 students’ team.
• Certificate of recognition for coordinating teachers and letter of recommendation for exceptional teachers.
• Opportunity to share project outcomes with other secondary school and University students across the globe.
• Leverage on the community, global visibility and publicity of #GreenGrowthAfrica and its partners to amplify your work.