By: Hee-Dee Walenga
Basecamp Business Incubator, in partnership with the Network for Global Innovation (NGIN), the Capricorn Foundation, and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), officially launched the Agripreneurial Innovation Challenge (AIC) Namibia in Windhoek on Monday, April 13th 2026, at CcHub Namibia.
The AIC is a national platform designed to identify and support practical, scalable innovations across the agriculture value chain. “The challenge is aimed at improving the farm to table value chain,” said NGIN CEO, Fred Walti. Beyond Namibia, the challenge also seeks solutions with potential to scale across the region/continent and drive broader economic growth.
“It is inspiring to see Namibians start companies not only to feed their families but are also aiming to solve two of the most important problems facing Namibia: food security and unemployment among the youth,” Walti added.
The event reinforced the urgency of supporting agriculture-linked entrepreneurship as a pathway to job creation, stronger value chains, and improved access to Namibian-grown agricultural products.
Delivering the keynote address on behalf of Inge Zaamwani-Kamwi, Minister of Agriculture, Agro-business Analyst for the Ministry, Andre Apollus stated, “The challenge is an important step towards shaping the future of agriculture in Namibia.”
Apollus added that although agriculture is essential to Namibia’s stability and development, the sector faces several challenges such as climate change, water scarcity, market access, and value addition. “As a Ministry, we want to see more local food production, improved productivity, smarter use of water, stronger climate resilience, and agro processing so we create more local jobs. To achieve these goals, we need to be more innovative,” he stated.
The Challenge is open to early-stage innovators with functional prototypes, registered SMEs with pilot-stage innovations, and growth-stage enterprises ready to scale proven solutions. Applicants may be Namibia-based, or international teams committed to piloting their innovation in Namibia.
Applications opened on 13 April 2026 until 22 May 2026, with the winner to be announced on 31 July 2026, after two rounds of review by a panel of judges. First place will receive N$150,000 with second and third receiving N$75,000 and N$50,000 respectively.
Applicants are required to have a positive climate impact and be willing to participate in an ongoing Climate Impact Calculator, with the goal of reducing carbon intake by more than 6.8t CO2eq per year in Year 1.
“We meet aspiring entrepreneurs across Namibia with great ideas, ambition, and a deep desire to create a better future. What we often see is that it’s not the passion and the skill that are lacking, but the access to the right platforms, support systems, and opportunities. This Challenge was created to respond to that reality,” said Capricorn Asset Management Head of Marketing & Communications, Tarina Biewenga.
Manager of Innovation for the Capricorn Group, Rikus Grobler, emphasised that the AIC is about ideas, rather than funding. “The AIC is about finding innovators who don’t know where to start. They can’t go to a fund, but they can apply to the competition and receive advice, exposure, as well as rub shoulders with other entrepreneurs,” he explained.
Grobler also explained to The Villager that Capricorn was eager to support this initiative due to past successes with The Food Waste Challenge and The Global Cleantech Challenge. “We saw that if you want people to come up with creative solutions, then you should incentivise them via competitions. We believe that Namibians are best equipped to solve Namibia’s problems,” he concluded.
Interested applicants have until 22 May 2026 to submit their applications here: https://www.aic.basecamphub.com/
