GreenLabs 2025 – Powering Food Systems Innovation Challenge
The Powering Food Systems Innovation Challenge is your chance to be part of our next wave of changemakers tackling two of the country’s most urgent challenges: sustainable food systems and energy access.
Right now, over 30 million Nigerians are facing acute food insecurity (UN Cadre Harmonisé, 2025), a crisis affecting families in both rural and urban areas. At the same time, just over 53% of Nigerian households are connected to electricity (NBS, 2024), and even those connected receive an average of only 4–6 hours of supply per day (Small Business Insights, 2025). These realities shape how we grow, process, store, and distribute food, and they are also powerful opportunities for innovation.
Designed for youths aged 20 to 35, this hackathon-style competition invites innovators, problem-solvers, and entrepreneurs from all backgrounds – agriculture, engineering, business, environmental science, computer science, and beyond – to design creative, practical, and scalable solutions that can transform how we grow, process, and power our food systems.
Across Africa, the green economy could generate 3.3 million jobs by 2030 (The Guardian, 2024), and in Nigeria, according to the Powering Jobs Census 2022: Focus on Nigeria – a report by Power for All and Clean Technology Hub Nigeria that surveyed over 350 companies across solars, mini-grids, and related technologies. This proves that climate-smart solutions are already creating real jobs while addressing urgent national needs, with the potential to open even more doors for employment and entrepreneurship.
Are you a student with a big idea, a young entrepreneur with a prototype, or a curious problem-solver eager to learn and collaborate?
This challenge offers the platform, mentorship, and resources to bring your vision to life and to contribute to solutions that matter for our nation’s future.
Why Join?
- Equity-free & debt-free pre-seed funding for winning teams.
- Mentorship from experts in food systems, renewable energy, and entrepreneurship.
- A nine-month incubation programme to turn your idea into a viable startup.
- Networking opportunities with industry leaders, potential investors, and fellow innovators.
- Real-world impact – helping Nigeria move towards cleaner energy and sustainable agriculture.
Challenge Overview
This challenge calls on participants to explore how renewable energy can transform every stage of the food value chain, from production and processing to distribution and consumption.
Solutions might include:
- Energy-efficient farming methods
- Renewable-powered food processing and preservation
- Sustainable cold chain systems and food transport
- Smart energy systems that reduce food waste
- Innovative uses of agricultural waste for energy production or bioproducts
At its core, this challenge addresses three critical realities:
- Lack of energy access
- Reliance on non-renewable energy sources
- Inefficient energy usage
Your solution should enable access to renewable energy, help transition communities from non-renewables to sustainable sources, or improve energy efficiency across the food supply chain.
Key Challenge Areas
Your idea should not only solve a local problem but also have the potential to scale nationwide.
Integrate renewable energy into farming through solar-powered irrigation, smart farming technologies, or energy-efficient machinery to improve yields and reduce environmental impact.
Develop renewable energy solutions for drying, milling, refrigeration, and packaging, thus cutting post-harvest losses and making preservation more affordable.
Design renewable-powered transport or refrigeration systems to keep food fresh, reduce spoilage, and ensure access to markets, especially in underserved areas.
Turn waste into value, such as biofuels, bioplastics, and biomaterials, while reducing environmental harm, improving energy access, and supporting the renewable energy transition.
Participation Requirements
To be eligible for this challenge, you must meet the following requirements –
Age: 20-35 years
Location: Required to attend the final Demo Day in person at CADEF Head Office.
Time: Available to attend all virtual and in-person (physical) training/mentorship sessions.
Internet: Access to reliable internet connection.
How To Participate
Step 1: Info Sessions
Join our info sessions to learn about the challenge scope, process and the incubation programme.
Step 2: Micro-Course
Gain foundational knowledge in renewable energy and food systems from our introductory Food-Energy Nexus micro-course to refine your solution concept.
Step 3: Application
Submit your motivation, relevant skills, project concept, and (if available) your team members; up to 3 per team.
Challenge Prizes
3.4 million naira (equity-free and debt-free pre-seed capital) up for grabs, to start you off on your journey!
Post-Event Incubation (9 Months)
All finalists join GreenLabs, receiving green entrepreneurship training, tailored mentorship, access to toolkits and resources, and the chance to pitch to investors at the programme’s close.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Age: 20–35 years old
- Location: Resident in Lagos, Nigeria
- Commitment: Available to attend all virtual and in-person/mentorship activities
- Internet: Access to a stable connection
We welcome individuals, teams, and startups that are passionate about creating innovative solutions at the intersection of food systems and renewable energy in Nigeria. We welcome youths aged 20–35 from diverse backgrounds (agriculture, engineering, environmental science, business, computer science, etc.) All team members must apply individually.
We are seeking creative, practical, and scalable ideas that use renewable energy to transform food systems across production, processing, distribution, and consumption. This includes (but is not limited to):
- Energy-efficient agricultural practices (e.g., solar-powered irrigation, smart farming tech)
- Renewable-powered food processing (e.g., milling, drying, cold storage)
- Renewable-powered transportation and cold chain systems
- Conversion of agricultural waste into biofuels or bioproducts
- Smart energy systems to reduce food waste
Solutions may focus on one or multiple areas, as long as they contribute to a more sustainable, resilient, and equitable food system.
No, there is no fee to join. All you need is your fresh idea and your commitment to see it come to life.
Solutions can be applied nationwide. However, we strongly encourage designs that address the unique needs of underserved and remote communities, especially areas with limited energy access or high levels of post-harvest food loss.
Entries will be assessed based on:
- Emerging Technology (20%) – Innovative use of cutting-edge tech like IoT, or AI.
- Economic Potential (20%) – Ability to create jobs, boost entrepreneurship, and open new markets
- Sustainability (15%) – Environmental protection, emissions reduction, circular/regenerative design
- Scalability (15%) – Potential to expand across regions or countries
- Creativity (10%) – Locally relevant, unique approaches (including indigenous knowledge)
- Feasibility & Accessibility (10%) – Technical and financial viability, affordability, ease of use
- Collaboration (10%) – Interdisciplinary teamwork and integration of diverse perspectives
Yes. The challenge offers equity-free and debt-free pre-seed capital up to 3.4 million naira for the top 4 winners. In addition, all finalists will join the 9-month GreenLabs incubation programme, gaining access to training, mentorship, and resources to scale their ideas.
- Info Session Registration: Aug 1–30, 2025
- Hackathon Application: Aug 9–16, 2025
- Application Deadline: Sept 16, 2025
- Challenge Period: October 2025 (3 weeks)
- Demo Day: Oct 24, 2025
- Incubation Period: Nov 2025 – July 2026
Yes. You will have access to online sessions, peer learning sessions, mentorship meetings, and collaborative activities to help refine ideas and connect with potential partners.
Winning teams will enter the greenLabs incubation programme, receive their pre-seed capital along with other incentives in the course of the programme. All participants will get feedback on their submissions and may be connected to potential funders, collaborators, or organisations interested in piloting their ideas.
No. The challenge is open only to Nigerian (Lagos-based) residents aged 20–35, as solutions must be developed for Nigeria’s specific food-energy context.
Yes. Participants retain full ownership of their ideas and intellectual property. By entering, you grant the organisers permission to use your submission for promotional purposes. Ensure your solution does not infringe on third-party IP rights.
