The MTN Africa PachiPanda Challenge 2026 is inviting young Nigerians, students, entrepreneurs and youth-led businesses with innovative ideas for tackling environmental challenges to apply for the 2026 Nigeria challenge.
The initiative is organised by MTN Nigeria in partnership with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), through the Nigeria Conservation Foundation (NCF), alongside the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Nigeria and Deloitte Nigeria. It is designed to encourage young people to develop practical and sustainable solutions to environmental problems while promoting green entrepreneurship.
For the 2026 Nigeria edition, successful participants can compete for a total of ₦10 million in prizes, with the first-place winner receiving ₦5 million. The Nigerian winners will also represent the country at the Africa PachiPanda Finale in South Africa.
MTN Africa PachiPanda Challenge 2026
Programme: MTN Africa PachiPanda Challenge 2026
Country: Nigeria
Category: Innovation Competition / Environmental Sustainability / Entrepreneurship
Eligible Participants: Individuals, students, entrepreneurs and youth-led SMEs
Age: 18–35 years
Team Size: Maximum of 3 members
1st Prize: ₦5,000,000
2nd Prize: ₦3,000,000
3rd Prize: ₦2,000,000
Application Deadline: August 28, 2026
What Is the PachiPanda Challenge?
The Africa PachiPanda Challenge is a joint initiative of MTN and WWF that supports young people and youth-led businesses developing solutions to environmental and climate-related challenges.
The programme began in Zambia in 2022 before expanding to other African countries, including Nigeria. The initiative has evolved into a platform for identifying promising green businesses and helping young innovators develop their ideas into practical and scalable solutions.
The challenge is not simply a competition for cash prizes. Participants are given an opportunity to develop their ideas, receive entrepreneurial support and gain exposure to organisations, investors and other stakeholders interested in sustainability.
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Who Can Apply?
The Nigeria PachiPanda Challenge is open to:
- Nigerians aged 18 to 35 years.
- University and college students.
- Young entrepreneurs.
- Individuals with innovative environmental solutions.
- Youth-led SMEs.
- Individuals applying alone or as part of a team.
Applicants can participate individually or form a team of up to three members. Early-stage businesses and ideas are also eligible to participate.
The competition is particularly suitable for people who have developed an innovative solution to an environmental problem or are working on a business that can contribute to sustainability.
Employees of MTN Nigeria, NCF, UNDP Nigeria and Deloitte Nigeria, as well as their immediate family members, are not eligible to participate. Participants can also be disqualified for fraud, plagiarism or other unethical conduct.
What Kind of Ideas Are Eligible?
The 2026 Nigeria challenge focuses on two major environmental areas.
1. Climate Change
The first challenge statement focuses on solutions that can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address the effects of climate change.
Participants are being asked to consider:
How can innovative solutions in Nigerian homes and businesses reduce emissions, fight climate change and build resilience?
Ideas may involve technology, business models, products or services that help households and businesses reduce their environmental impact.
Potential areas could include renewable energy, energy efficiency, climate-smart technology, sustainable production and other practical approaches to reducing emissions.
2. Climate-Smart Cities and Urban Resilience
The second challenge focuses on creating cities that can better adapt to environmental challenges.
One major area highlighted by the challenge is waste management.
Participants can develop solutions that use technology, business innovation, behavioural change or creative approaches to reduce waste, pollution and associated health and environmental risks.
Ideas could address areas such as recycling, waste collection, waste reduction, circular economy models, digital waste-management systems and community-based environmental initiatives.
The objective is to find solutions that can make Nigerian communities cleaner, healthier and more resilient.
What Can Winners Receive?
The Nigeria PachiPanda Challenge has a total prize pool of ₦10 million.
The prizes are:
First Place: ₦5 million
Second Place: ₦3 million
Third Place: ₦2 million
The winners will also have the opportunity to represent Nigeria at the Africa PachiPanda Finale in South Africa, where winners from participating African countries will compete at the continental level.
Beyond the financial prizes, the programme provides opportunities for mentorship, training, pitching and networking.
This makes the challenge particularly valuable for entrepreneurs who want to develop their environmental ideas into sustainable businesses.
How the Challenge Works
The competition begins with an online application.
After applications close, the organisers will select the Top 100 participants.
The number will then be reduced to the Top 25, followed by the Top 10.
The finalists will participate in a boot camp and pitch programme scheduled for October 20–23, 2026, where they will have the opportunity to develop and present their solutions.
The winners will be announced on October 23, 2026.
What Information Is Required?
Applicants should be prepared to explain their idea clearly.
The application requires participants to provide responses covering four major areas:
Description of the solution: Maximum of 200 words explaining the innovative idea.
Why the idea deserves selection: Maximum of 200 words explaining what makes the solution outstanding.
Impact: Maximum of 200 words explaining how the solution could affect people at community, national and international levels.
Detailed solution description: Maximum of 2,000 words explaining the idea in greater detail, including evidence or proof of concept where available.
Applicants should therefore avoid submitting vague descriptions. The application should clearly show the environmental problem, the proposed solution, who benefits from it and how it can realistically be implemented.
How to Prepare a Strong Application
A strong application should begin by identifying a specific environmental problem.
For example, instead of simply saying that waste is a problem in Nigeria, an applicant could identify a particular waste-management challenge affecting a community and explain how their solution would address it.
Applicants should also explain what makes their solution different from existing approaches.
If the idea has already been tested, applicants should provide evidence such as pilot results, users, partnerships, prototypes or other proof that the solution works.
However, an idea does not necessarily have to be a fully established company. Early-stage solutions are also eligible, so applicants with promising ideas should clearly demonstrate how the concept can be developed and scaled.
How to Apply
Interested Nigerians can access the official MTN Africa PachiPanda Challenge page:
CLICK HERE TO APPLY JOIN WHATSAPP FOR MORE
Select Nigeria and follow the application instructions provided for the 2026 challenge.
Applicants should ensure that all information submitted is accurate and that their responses directly address the challenge statement they have selected.
Important Dates
The key dates for the Nigeria PachiPanda Challenge 2026 are:
Application Deadline: August 28, 2026
Top 100: September 18, 2026
Top 25: October 2, 2026
Top 10: October 9, 2026
Boot Camp and Pitch Day: October 20–23, 2026
Winners Announcement: October 23, 2026
Interested applicants should not wait until the final day because the application requires detailed responses about the proposed solution.
Important Safety Alert
Applicants should be careful when applying for competitions, grants and scholarships online.
Never provide your BVN on an application form. You should also never give anyone your ATM PIN, OTP, banking password or internet banking login details.
Be suspicious if anyone asks you to make payment for guaranteed selection, shortlisting, application processing, prize release or special consideration.
Scammers can impersonate genuine organisations and create fake forms or social media accounts. Do not pay anyone who promises to guarantee your selection or prize.
Always use the official MTN website and verify suspicious messages before providing information.
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