South Africa

Applications are open for companies in the agro-processing sector to participate in the South African Pavilion at Gulfood - the largest food and beverage trade exhibition in the Middle East. Gulfood 2026 will showcase food and beverage products from around the world. South Africa will participate in the Fine Food Pavilion, which showcases agro-processing products and services, excluding beverages and meat.

Accelerate Africa is inviting applications for Cohort 5 of its startup accelerator programme designed to support bold and visionary African founders building scalable businesses that solve Africa’s biggest challenges.

The 12-week accelerator programme is tailored for early-stage startups across Africa and focuses on helping founders strengthen their businesses through hands-on mentorship, operational support, founder coaching, market expansion strategies, and investor readiness preparation.

The GTR+ MEA Awards 2026 are now open for voting, recognising the institutions shaping the trade finance landscape across the Middle East and Africa.

Organised by Global Trade Review (GTR), the awards celebrate leadership, innovation, market influence, and impact across the regional trade finance ecosystem.

The Hinrich Foundation is inviting researchers, scholars, universities, think tanks, and policy institutions to submit proposals for its 2026 International Trade Research Program.

The programme supports high-quality research projects that advance understanding of global trade issues and contribute to evidence-based policy development. Selected researchers receive funding support, mentorship, editorial guidance, and publication opportunities through the Foundation’s research and policy platforms.

The World Food Prize Foundation is calling for nominations for the 2026 Norman Borlaug Award for Field Research and Application, endowed by The Rockefeller Foundation.

The award recognises exceptional, science-based achievements in international agriculture and food production by individuals under the age of 40 who are actively working to address global hunger, poverty, food security, nutrition, and sustainable agricultural development.

The iF SOCIAL IMPACT PRIZE is an international recognition and support programme by iF Design that celebrates implemented projects delivering measurable social and environmental impact aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Standard Bank Tuksnovation Innovation Challenge 2026 is an impact-driven accelerator programme designed to support high-potential entrepreneurs in building scalable, sustainable, and market-ready businesses. Now in its 2026 edition, the programme has evolved to offer a more curated cohort, broader sector inclusion, and strengthened post-programme development to ensure long-term business success.

The Docusign Foundation’s “Agreements for Good” programme provides grant funding to support multi-stakeholder collaborations that address complex global challenges through structured agreements, governance models, and shared accountability mechanisms.

Unlike traditional funding that focuses on project delivery, this programme specifically invests in how organisations work together, funding the design and implementation of agreements that enable durable, cross-sector collaboration.

Funding Focus Areas

The Development Innovation Ventures (DIV) Fund is a global funding programme that supports innovative, evidence-based solutions with the potential to improve millions of lives. The fund operates as an R&D engine for development, combining risk-tolerant capital with rigorous evidence and scaling pathways.

DIV’s core objective is to identify, test, and scale cost-effective innovations that deliver measurable social impact particularly in low- and middle-income contexts.

Funding Structure (Tiered Model)