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📅 Deadline: 15 February 2026, 23:59 SAST 🌍 Eligibility: Pan-African 🎥 Video submission required (5 minutes max) 🔗 Apply here: https://tally.so/r/aQ9RRX
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Africa is facing an escalating solid waste crisis, with output projected to exceed 200 million tons annually by 2030.
Plastic pollution, in particular, disproportionately impacts the continent’s coastal and urban ecosystems, threatening biodiversity and the livelihoods of millions. While many groundbreaking research ideas exist, there remains a critical gap in transitioning these concepts from the lab to the market.
To meet this challenge, OceanHub Africa (OHA) has joined forces with The Coca-Cola Foundation (TCCF) to launch a $120,000 pan-African initiative. This partnership leverages OHA’s expertise in Blue Economy venture building to empower African-led, science-driven solutions that can revolutionise plastic circularity.
Bridge the Gap: Use our specialised venture building studio to transition early-stage, science-driven concepts into market-ready, scalable businesses.
Fund Innovation: Provide catalytic financial support (up to $120,000) to develop and enable the initial scaling of bold ideas.
Enhance Capacity: Offer technical mentorship and business support to ensure long-term commercial viability.
Build Market Access: Facilitate vital connections between African innovators and corporate partners, market entry networks, and the broader impact-investment ecosystem.
| Date | Milestone | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 17 December 2025 | Call for Applications open | |
| 15 February 2026 | Applications close | |
| February 2026 | Evaluation of applications | |
| March -December 2026 | Venture Building period | Hybrid format involving technical mentorship and scaling support. |
| April 2026 | Acceleration program evaluation | Ideas will be evaluated based on our pre-determined criteria for potential entrance into our acceleration program. |
| Throughout | Documentation + marketing | This program will be documented and shared with program partners, as well as through OceanHub Africa’s marketing and social media channels. |
The initiative is built on achieving tangible, measurable results for both people and the planet:
Environmental Impact: A collective target of recycling and diverting 490 tons of plastic waste from African oceans and landfills.
Social Impact: The creation of over 150 sustainable livelihoods within coastal and urban communities, fostering economic inclusion.
Economic Impact: The establishment of new, profitable business models that prove the commercial value of circularity in Africa.
Scalability: A blueprint for pan-African solutions that can be replicated in different regions to combat the global plastic crisis.