African startups invited to apply for female-focused UN innovation challenge

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The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) have launched the Innovations to Empower Women and Girls Challenge to help scale innovative solutions that can help disrupt inequalities and advance the empowerment of women and girls.

The first ever Joint Innovation Challenge organised by the UNFPA, the Innovations to Empower Women and Girls Challenge is looking for innovative ideas that support female empowerment, maternal health, gender equality, and reproductive rights. 

The challenge will support women-centered innovations, including those that provide affordable and sustainable access to essential reproductive health commodities, services, and information, with a focus on hard-to-reach areas and humanitarian settings, and scale up prevention and response to gender-based violence and harmful practices.

Ten winners of the challenge will sign a nine-month contract and receive investments of up to US$60,000. UNFPA and its partners will further provide them with targeted mentorship, lectures, interactive workshops, and access to the UN network to help them position their ideas to scale. 

Applications are open here until April 15.

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Passionate about the vibrant tech startups scene in Africa, Tom can usually be found sniffing out the continent's most exciting new companies and entrepreneurs, funding rounds and any other developments within the growing ecosystem.

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