The African Union Enterprise Africa Network (EAN) Fellowship Programme 2026/2027 for youth- and women-led small enterprises.

Application Deadline: 30 September 2026

Applications are now open for the 2026/2027 African Union Enterprise Africa Network (EAN) Fellowship Programme. The Enterprise Africa Network (EAN) Fellowship Programme is an AUC Startup Acceleration Initiative and the African Union’s flagship programme for the development of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Implemented by the AU Commission’s Department of Economic Development, Trade, Tourism, Industry and Minerals (ETTIM), the programme provides Africa’s most promising entrepreneurs with structured training, expert mentorship, intellectual property support, and direct market access opportunities across the continent and beyond.

Requirements

• The EAN Fellowship is open to youth- and women-led small enterprises that are: registered and operating in an AU Member State; formally registered as a business entity; operating for at least two years; and employing a minimum of three full-time staff.
• Applications are particularly encouraged from women-led enterprises and businesses from underrepresented AU regions and small island Member States.

Benefits

• All fellows receive: twelve months of structured training across ten modules differentiated by sector and tier; expert mentorship through African Union Partners, access to the African Trade Observatory (ATO) and AfCFTA market intelligence tools; and participation in continental events. Tier 1 and 2 fellows participate in virtual market-entry sessions across ten AfCFTA pilot countries; Tier 3 fellows participate in B2B matchmaking sessions.

Fellowship Sectors

Cohort 2 covers seven sectors organised into two clusters aligned with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA):

• Products Cluster (goods for intra-African trade): Manufacturing, Agro-processing, Creative Industries
• Services Cluster: ICT/Digital, Fintech, Health, Logistics/Transport

Fellowship Tiers

Fellows are placed into one of three tiers based on enterprise maturity. Training, mentorship, and market access support are tailored to each tier. A minimum of 40 places (40 percent of the cohort) are reserved to ensure representation across all five AU continental regions, with at least five places for enterprises from small island Member States.

Application Timeline:

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the African Union Enterprise Africa Network (EAN) Fellowship Programme