ECOWAS Youth and Women Entrepreneurship Programme (EYWEP) 2026

The ECOWAS Youth and Women Entrepreneurship Programme (EYWEP) 2026 supports early-stage entrepreneurs in seven West African countries with grants, mentoring, and networking to scale their businesses.

What it offers

• Grants for selected projects:
  • First Place: $15,000
  • Second Place: $10,000
  • Third Place: $5,000
  • Special Award Best Regional Business Plan: $5,000
• Capacity building, technical support, mentoring, networking, and access to business support services.

Who can apply

• Young people aged 18 to 35.
• Nationals or residents of one of the seven pilot countries: Benin, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, Sierra Leone.
• Must already have an existing business or operational entrepreneurial activity.

What you'll do

• Strengthen, stabilize, or develop your business with targeted support.
• Participate in a coaching program to enhance business viability and growth potential.

How to apply

• Prepare:
  • An up-to-date Curriculum Vitae (CV)
  • A copy of a valid identity document
  • A presentation note of the company or activity
  • A simplified business plan or business model presentation
  • A projected financial plan
  • The company’s legal documents, if applicable
  • Any additional document useful for the assessment
• Consolidate all documents into a single PDF file.
• Send the PDF to the email address corresponding to your country with the subject line: “EYWEP Program Application – Existing Businesses”
  • Benin: eywep.benin@ecowas.int
  • Ivory Coast: eywep.cotedivoire@ecowas.int
  • Gambia: eywep.gambia@ecowas.int
  • Ghana: eywep.ghana@ecowas.int
  • Guinea-Bissau: eywep.guineabissau@ecowas.int
  • Senegal: eywep.senegal@ecowas.int
  • Sierra Leone: eywep.sierraleone@ecowas.int

Good to know

• Applications close on July 16, 2026.
• Projects will be evaluated on relevance, structuring, growth potential, viability, impact, job creation potential, and candidate motivation.