FIRE Africa Awards in ICT for Development 2019 (USD3,000 plus fully-funded to Berlin, Germany)

The FIRE Africa Grants will provide three grants of up to US$3,000 each for projects aligned with one of the following categories below. This Grant is for projects that will be implemented within a 12-16 month period.

Application Deadline: 31st May 2019 at 11:59 PM PDT

Eligible Countries: African countries

About the Award: An Award is a prize for a job well done. The FIRE Africa Awards seek to acknowledge innovative initiatives in Africa and have made concrete contributions to the use of information and communications technologies and have had a strong impact on the region’s social and economic development.

The Fund for Internet Research and Development – FIRE Africa – is one of Africa’s leading Grants and Awards programmes designed to encourage, support and develop innovative online solutions to Africa’s education, information, infrastructure and communication needs.

FIRE Africa actively encourages Francophone, Lusophone, female-led projects, projects originating in post-conflict countries, and projects that support isolated communities. We also encourage projects that use technology to address the specific challenges faced by women and girls, disabled people or marginalised groups.

Eligible Funding Categories: There is only one funding category for the 2019 Awards

1. ICT for Development: ICT for community development and poverty reduction. New uses of ICT in the health, education, industry, environment, agriculture, and other sectors. The projects can be in any of the following subcategories: –

• • Encourages the use of ICTs for enhancing human development and economic empowerment, thus promoting the reduction of poverty.
  • To promote new uses of ICTs in education.
  • Work on promoting gender equality, improving interventions through the use of digital tools.
  • Implement telehealth services (e-health, m-health and telemedicine).
  • Improve prevention and control measures through the use of ICTs in cases of emergencies and natural disasters.
  • Meet challenges in the areas of economy and employment through projects that leverage ICTs and strengthen digital ecosystems.
  • Exploring the potential of the Internet for things in agriculture, climate change, energy and natural resource management

Type: Entrepreneurship

Eligibility Criteria: The FIRE Africa Awards will be presented to ongoing initiatives or completed projects that submit concrete evidence of their impact. Projects pending execution or which are about to begin will not be accepted.

Winning initiatives must meet three main requirements.

1. All project proposals must have a technological component through which they seek to solve development issues.
2. Proposed solutions must be innovative, i.e., they must present new strategies, notions, ideas, methods and processes that respond to social needs and can broaden and strengthen communities.
3. Finally, successful initiatives must have a proven impact, i.e., they must submit indicators and evidence that support the creation of value for the target communities.

Number of Awards: 1

Value of Award: The FIRE Award consists of a USD 3,000 cash prize plus full travel and accommodation for one representative of the selected project to attend the awards ceremony, and participate in sessions which will be held in Berlin Germany during the 2019  Internet Governance Forum starting from 25th to 29th November 2019.

How to Apply: APPLY NOW

Visit Program Webpage for details