Government of Japan UNITAR Empowering Youth and Women Programme 2026 | How To Apply

Through structured mentorship, applied learning, ecosystem exposure, and international engagement opportunities, participants will progressively develop projects that are credible, collaborative, and positioned for operationalization and long-term impact.

The Programme will run from August 2026 to March 2027 through four progressive phases combining virtual learning, applied project development, mentorship, and international engagement opportunities.

Phase I – Foundations and Opportunity Development (August – October 2026)

Participants will receive foundational training in:

• Entrepreneurship and innovation
• AI and digital transformation
• Leadership and systems thinking
• Sustainable development and SDG integration
• Market analysis and customer discovery
• Business ecosystems and value chains
• Introduction to partnerships, investment readiness, and collaborative engagement

Focus: Strengthening participants’ ability to identify real-world opportunities, understand market and development needs, and build solution-oriented concepts with practical relevance and growth potential.

Phase II – Applied Innovation and Project Development (Including ToT) (November – December 2026)

Selected participants will deepen their practical application skills through:

• Business model refinement
• Financial and operational planning
• Project structuring and implementation design
• Monitoring, evaluation, and impact measurement
• Pitch preparation and communication
• Partnership mapping and stakeholder engagement
• Training-of-Trainers (ToT) components to support local knowledge multiplication

Participants will progressively transform their ideas into implementation-oriented and partnership-ready project concepts.

Focus: Developing scalable, credible, and financially viable initiatives capable of attracting collaboration and operational support.

Phase III – Leadership and International Engagement (January – February 2027)

A limited number of high-performing participants will participate in an advanced hybrid engagement phase, which includes a short immersion program in Japan.

Activities may include:

• Mentorship sessions with industry and ecosystem experts
• Exposure to innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems
• Learning visits and institutional dialogue
• Networking and strategic engagement opportunities
• Project refinement and partnership discussions

Focus: Strengthening participants’ readiness to engage with international partners, investors, industry actors, and ecosystem institutions while advancing investment-oriented and implementation-focused project strategies.

Phase IV – Africa–Japan Innovation and Partnership Round Table (February 2027)

The Programme will conclude with a high-level dialogue and engagement platform that brings together participants, ecosystem actors, development partners, mentors, investors, and representatives from both the public and private sectors.

Selected participants will showcase initiatives, exchange lessons learned, and explore practical collaboration pathways for implementation and scaling.

Focus: Facilitating strategic connections, visibility, ecosystem collaboration, and long-term partnership opportunities.

By the end of the Programme, participants will be able to:

• Design innovative, inclusive, and sustainable business or development solutions aligned with national and regional priorities.
• Apply digital technologies, AI, and emerging innovation tools to address challenges related to food security, climate resilience, employment, trade, healthcare, industrialization, and service delivery.
• Develop operationally feasible and financially viable project concepts with clear implementation pathways and partnership strategies.
• Strengthen leadership, negotiation, stakeholder engagement, and cross-sector collaboration competencies.
• Integrate sustainability, gender equality, social impact, and SDG considerations into entrepreneurial and innovation initiatives.
• Formulate partnership-ready and investment-oriented proposals informed by market realities and public–private collaboration principles.
• Communicate project value propositions effectively to investors, development partners, public institutions, and private-sector stakeholders.
• Build long-term professional networks and collaboration opportunities across African and international innovation ecosystems.