NOWEDIF Digital Entrepreneurship Program 2025

Deadline: March 27, 2025

Applications are open for the NOWEDIF Digital Entrepreneurship Program 2025. NOWEDIF (North-West Development and Investment Fund) is excited to announce a 1 Billion FCFA ($1.6M) Digital Entrepreneurship Program, an initiative designed to engage youths in the North-West Region of Cameroon, empower youth-led startups, and scale tech-enabled solutions to grow the region’s digital economy.

For the 2025 Edition: The NOWEDIF Digital Entrepreneurship Program is looking to identify up to 100 youths passionate about digital entrepreneurship and 25 startups building tech-enabled solutions to transform the region’s economy.

Key Sectors of Interests

Sector-agnostic and encourage applications from youths and startups passionate about or building solutions in the following industries:

• Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries: Vertical farming, food preservation and transformation, farm-to-market solutions, genetically engineered pest-resistant crops, precision agriculture, AI pest control, smart irrigation, agricultural drones, automated livestock monitoring, sustainable aquaculture, food traceability.
• Natural Resources & Mining: Smart mineral exploration, automated mining operations, AI safety monitoring, environmental rehabilitation, carbon offsetting, waste management in mining, water purification technologies, blockchain-based resource tracking, sustainable resource extraction.
• Manufacturing: AI production lines, industrial robotics, additive manufacturing, automated quality control, smart materials, digital twins for factory simulation, predictive maintenance, autonomous supply chain systems, decentralized manufacturing.
• Construction & Infrastructure: Smart buildings, digital twins for urban planning, public-private partnership management, modular and prefabricated housing, co-living solutions, blockchain land registries, AI infrastructure monitoring, 3D printing in construction, AI data centers.
• Energy & Utilities: Renewable energy solutions, decentralized energy grids, smart meters, AI grid optimization, carbon capture and storage, hydrogen fuel cells, waste-to-energy systems, energy efficiency analytics, microgrid solutions, AI electricity demand forecasting, small modular reactors.
• Wholesale & Retail Trade: E-commerce, supply chain optimization, smart warehouses, trade finance, augmented reality shopping, automated checkout systems, personalized customer analytics, digital trade platforms, last-mile delivery optimization.
• Financial Services: Digital banking, stablecoin-based payments, AI lending, alternative credit scoring, crowdfunding platforms, blockchain for cross-border payments, fraud detection, RegTech solutions for compliance, decentralized finance (DeFi) infrastructure, AI insurance, AI asset management.
• Real Estate & PropTech: AI property valuation, smart property management, co-living solutions, digital real estate transactions, blockchain-based property registries, AI rental pricing models, smart home automation, real estate investment analytics.
• Professional Services: AI-powered legal research, automated accounting, digital tax advisory, AI HR and recruitment solutions, AI business consulting, corporate governance automation, compliance and risk management tools, AI client relationship management.
• Transport & Logistics: Autonomous delivery vehicles, drone logistics, AI fleet management, smart warehousing, supply chain visibility solutions, automated freight matching, low-altitude transportation, AI ports and airport optimization, digital visa processing solutions.
• Tourism & Hospitality: AI travel recommendation engines, smart hotel automation, travel identity verification, augmented reality tourism experiences, dynamic pricing models for travel, personalized digital concierge services, AI language translation.
• Education & Training: AI personalized learning, virtual reality education, blockchain-based credential verification, skills assessment automation, digital vocational training, AI tutoring systems, smart classrooms, immersive training programs.
• Healthcare & Pharma: AI medical diagnostics, automated clinical trials, smart electronic health records, telemedicine, drug discovery using machine learning, healthcare digital twins, wearable health monitoring, predictive analytics for disease prevention, AI mental health support.
• Media & Entertainment: AI content generation, automated news writing, AI music and video production, esports analytics, gaming, virtual reality experiences, personalized media streaming, AI video editing tools.
• Government Services: AI e-governance, digital public service automation, blockchain-based voting systems, AI regulatory compliance, automated tax collection, smart city governance platforms, data-driven policymaking solutions, AI legislation.
• Defense & Security: Cybersecurity, autonomous drones, AI surveillance, identity management solutions, spacetech, satellite communications, national security analytics, AI-driven threat detection, air defense systems, biometric security solutions.

Benefits

Selected youths and startups will receive:

• Training on building digital and AI-powered products.
• Equity funding between $10,000 and $100,000 per startup.
• Direct access to regional, national, and global networks.
• Mentorship from top experts.
• Opportunities to scale solutions that address critical challenges.

Eligibility

• Open to graduates, young professionals, researchers, innovators passionate about digital entrepreneurship.
• Startup founders and entrepreneurs with solutions that will create employment in the North-West Region of Cameroon.
• No technical background required – onboarding sessions will introduce participants to tech

Application

Application deadline is March 27, 2025. Late applications will not be considered.

Click here to apply

For more information, visit NOWEDIF Digital Entrepreneurship Program.