Call for entrepreneurs Sénégal 2026

The eligibility requirements for the SusTech4Africa Grow Program focus on triple bottom line sustainability, which considers the impact on people, planet, and profit. This means that proposed solutions should benefit society, protect the environment, and be economically viable.

Technology plays a crucial role as an enabler for sustainable development in Africa. It can help address various environmental and social challenges by providing innovative solutions. For instance, technology can improve access to clean water, healthcare, education, and renewable energy. It can also enhance agricultural practices, promote conservation efforts, and support efficient resource management. By leveraging technology effectively, Africa can achieve sustainable development goals while creating opportunities for economic growth and social progress.

Financial Performance

• The company operates primarily in Africa and is predominantly African-owned.
• It has been formally registered as a legal entity for minimum 3 years.
• The company must have achieved a turnover of at least CFA 20 million in one of the last three fiscal years.
• The total financing required by the company is between CFA 15 million and XOF 100 million.

Social Responsibility

• The business contributes to social impact through the creation of local employment opportunities and the provision of essential goods and services to vulnerable or underserved populations.
• It upholds equitable and respectful relationships with employees, customers, and suppliers.

Environmental Sustainability

• The company's value chain embodies, or aims to embody, principles of the circular economy.
• It strives to minimize its environmental and human health impacts, surpassing the standards set by current product or service offerings.

Technological Innovation

• The company's production facilities utilize sustainable technologies.
• These technologies represent a significant advancement towards sustainability compared to similar production units.

The company participating in the ST4A programme must demonstrate its potential for economic profitability over the repayment period of the loan applied for.

In addition to the above conditions, companies qualify for participation in the ST4A programme if they meet at least two of the following criteria:

1.         Have a minimum of three employees, including fixed-term contracts, apprentices, contractors and other subsidised forms of employment, for whom the contributions required by law are paid (the payment must appear on the balance sheet)

2.         Have a functioning accounting system

3.         Be able to continue operations for a month if the promoter is absent.

Programme :

Candidate selection

The programme begins with the selection of 7 to 10 entrepreneurs invited to take part in a 3-day Boost Camp.
The selection is based on the above-mentioned selection criteria, an analysis of the required documents and a visit to the entrepreneurs. It is carried out in consultation with the implementation team.

Boost Camp (1 day): mid-October 2026 in Senegal

Training and strengthening of links between project leaders and coaching teams.
The entrepreneurs are supported by OVO coaches who have travelled from Europe for the occasion and local coaches, with whom they are paired for direct discussions and advice.

Personalised on-site coaching (1 day): mid-October 2026 in Senegal

One day of on-site work with the entrepreneur and their team: the OVO coach and the local coach visit the business to understand the operational context, see the product, meet the team and gain a comprehensive understanding of the needs and challenges, in order to better guide the next stages of the coaching.

One-to-one coaching (6 months)

Over a six-month period, entrepreneurs, with the help of their coaches, develop an optimised business model, an ambitious yet realistic business plan, and a detailed financial and investment implementation plan. Weekly online meetings are held between the entrepreneurs and the coaches. The local coach visits the business once a week.

Access to funding
Once the application has been approved by OVO’s investment committee, the business can access various funding opportunities: it can submit its application to OVO’s impact fund and/or be put in touch with other investors within the OVO network who are interested in high-impact projects.

At the end of this support process, you will present your investment application to OVO’s evaluation committee.

If your application is approved, you will have access to various funding opportunities that can be utilised separately or simultaneously as part of a co-financing arrangement:

The OVO Acceleration Fund, which can provide funding in the form of a loan at an annual interest rate of X%, with a one-year grace period before repayment of the principal begins;
OVO’s network of partner investors, to whom your project may be presented in order to identify investors interested in its potential impact.

These two mechanisms can be activated in parallel to create a larger financing plan that is better suited to your business’s needs.
Should financing be successfully secured, a success fee of 5% of the amount financed will be payable. This fee may be included in the amount of funding sought.
No fee is charged if no funding is secured. You therefore only pay this fee in the event of a concrete result, namely the securing of funding from the OVO Acceleration Fund, partner investors, or a combination of both.

To submit your project, fill in the google form using this link:

https://forms.office.com/e/p27LxTVFVz

Applicants must also submit the following documents:

- A brief description of the company, process, product/service, target customers, business strategy, etc.

- A few images of the company's achievements and/or installations

- Amount of financial investment required by OvO's intervention

- Preliminary business plan

- Recent presentation (pitch deck) in a Powerpoint or PDF file

- Deed of incorporation and company registration number

- Articles of association and by-laws of the company if provided for by the corporate form

- Financial statements for the last three years, accompanied by a statement from the chartered accountant at the time of presentation.

Please send us this information by e-mail: geoffroy.mele@ovo.be.

Please note that without the required documentation, the application will be rejected.