The Economic Community of West African States has opened applications for the second edition of its Startup Awards, offering cash prizes totaling $65,000 to startups from across the region, including Nigeria.

ECOWAS Commission announced the award on its X handle on Monday, saying it aims to identify, celebrate and scale innovative startups while advancing digital entrepreneurship, innovation and economic integration in West Africa.

The second edition follows the inaugural event held in Niamey, Niger, in November 2021.

Applications opened on August 3 2026 and close on August 31 2026.

Selected startups will participate in virtual masterclasses from September 21–25, 2026, followed by a physical event in Abuja from September 28–30, culminating in the regional finals on September 30.

The programme targets 60 startups from the 12 ECOWAS member states across six sectors: EdTech and Skills Development; FinTech; HealthTech; AgriTech and Food Systems; CleanTech, Climate and Green Innovation; and Tourism, Hospitality and TravelTech.

Prizes and benefits

Winners will receive 20,000 for the first runner-up and $15,000 for the second runner-up.

Additional benefits include regional visibility across member states, access to investors through deal rooms, networking with founders, policymakers and development partners, a six-month post-award acceleration and mentorship programme, and digital tools such as computers, accessories and software.

Eligibility for Nigerian applicants

To qualify, applicants must:

1. Be citizens of an ECOWAS member state (Nigeria inclusive);
2. Operate a startup registered and based in an ECOWAS country;
3. Have a minimum of two years of operations;
4. Demonstrate a working product or service;
5. Show evidence of market traction or scalability; and
6. Submit all required documentation.

How to apply

Interested Nigerians should visit the official application portal at https://ecowasstartupawards.ipawas.org/.

Create an account by providing full name, email address, telephone number (optional but recommended) and a password of at least 10 characters.

Once registered, applicants can log in to the dashboard and start a new application.

The form covers Sections A through J and can be saved as a draft at any point.

1. Required documents include:
2. National passport or ECOWAS-approved identity document of the lead founder;
3. Recent passport photograph;
4. Business registration certificate (issued in an ECOWAS member state, if applicable);
5. Two years of financial statements, management accounts or projections;
6. Business plan (maximum 10 pages, single spacing, Times New Roman 12);
7. Pitch deck (maximum 10 slides); and
8. One-minute pitch video (MP4, MOV or WebM, maximum 100 MB).

Selection process

Selection occurs in two phases. In the national selection phase, each member state nominates half of its allocated slots while the remaining half comes from open public applications.

Finalists then proceed to the regional finals in Abuja, where they pitch before an independent jury of industry experts, investors and policy stakeholders.

Applications are scored on criteria including problem clarity and solution fit (20%), innovation and originality (20%), team capacity and execution ability (15%), market potential and scalability (10%), business model and financial viability (10%), social and economic impact (10%), alignment with ECOWAS priorities (10%), and pitch/online voting/data integrity (5%). (PUNCH)