The ECOWAS Commission has commenced the second edition of the ECOWAS Startup Awards, holding in Abuja from September 28–30, 2026, to celebrate innovation, entrepreneurship and the growing potential of startups across West Africa. Themed "Scaling West African Startups for Digital Transformation, Regional Integration and Sustainable Value Chain Ecosystem Development to Drive Market Access," the initiative, led by the Commission's Department of Economic Affairs and Agriculture, aims to connect promising startups with capital, markets, technology and opportunities to scale across the region. The 2026 edition attracted 8,679 registrations from 12 ECOWAS Member States, with 1,499 qualified applications. Following an evaluation process supported by the International Trade Centre (ITC), 60 startups emerged as finalists across six sectors: EdTech, FinTech, HealthTech, AgriTech and Food Systems, CleanTech and Green Innovation, and Tourism, Hospitality and TravelTech.
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