Eric Nsarkoh joins MEST Africa as a Portfolio Advisor

MEST Africa, a pan-African training program, incubator, and seed fund for African entrepreneurs, has announced the appointment of Eric Nsarkoh as a Portfolio Advisor, focused on technology product development. Eric brings a wealth of experience and expertise in Africa’s technology space to the role and will help to strengthen and scale MEST’s portfolio of startups across the continent.

Eric Nsarkoh is a seasoned business executive with over 20 years of experience in leading multinational organizations across Africa. He was  recently the Head of Engineering at Stanbic Bank Ghana and has a strong track record of scaling growth and innovation, having held similar leadership roles at Millicom (Tigo Ghana), Airtel Ghana, and MTN.

His expertise in software development, sales, and consumer behavior will be invaluable in supporting MEST Africa’s portfolio of companies. In his new role, Eric will be responsible for advising and supporting these companies to strengthen their product development and scale of technology products and services. He will also work closely with MEST Africa’s portfolio and leadership team, providing guidance on best practices and industry trends.

Founder Jorn Lyseggen expressed his excitement about the appointment, stating, “Eric is an unusually talented engineer as well as a seasoned executive who understands how to bring products to market in Africa. His background in banking and telco will be invaluable support for our portfolio companies as they grow and scale across the continent”

Eric’s appointment comes at a critical time for Africa’s technology sector as the continent is poised for tremendous growth. Eric expressed his excitement about joining MEST Africa and working with the organization’s portfolio companies. “I am thrilled to be joining MEST at this important time in Africa’s development,” he said. “I am excited to be part of an organization that is working to support the next generation of African tech entrepreneurs.”

Overall, Eric’s appointment as MEST Africa’s Portfolio Advisor focused on tech product development is a significant development that underscores the importance of software development in driving innovation and growth in the continent.

MEST will now Review all Class of 2024 Applications on a Rolling Basis

See new timelines for the 12-month Training Program Application

All applicants of the ongoing recruitment for the 12-month Training Program are informed that their applications will now be reviewed on a rolling basis. This means that the earlier applicants complete their application, the earlier they will hear back from the recruitment team regarding their status in the application process.

The new dates by which applicants should complete the application process are as follows:

  • Submit by 26 February 2023 hear from MEST by 17 March 2023
  • Submit by 20 March 2023 hear from MEST by 3 April 2023
  • Submit by 11 April 2023 hear from MEST by 24 April 2023

The new system of reviewing applications and new dates will allow early applicants to get faster updates on their application status and will also give other applicants more time to complete their applications beyond the 26th of February 2023.

The Application Process:

Visit the application portal and create an account

  • Complete all pre-learning courses
  • Take the aptitude test
  • Fill out and submit the MEST Training Program application form
  • Successful applicants go through the Interview stages, including individual phone interviews and in-person group interviews
  • Successful applicants receive an offer from MEST Africa

All applicants are also encouraged to join the program’s official Telegram group to interact directly with the recruitment team as they go through the application process.

MEST AFRICA COMMENCES RECRUITMENT FOR THE CLASS OF 2024

Accra-Ghana – Monday 12th December 2022: Applications are open for the 2024 cohort of the MEST Training Program; a twelve-month program hosted physically in Accra and designed to give young people around the continent commercial skills in technology and entrepreneurship. 

As one of the pioneering pan-African programs of its kind, the MEST Training program goes beyond software training to provide aspiring entrepreneurs with business, marketing, communication, and soft skills training.

The fully-funded program, which also focuses on supporting aspiring entrepreneurs to build, grow and scale successful tech businesses in Africa, provides up to $100,000 in seed funding, and business incubation to high-potential startups coming out of the program.

“I came to MEST because I knew that tech is exactly where I want to be. MEST has been the solid ground that I needed to really face my fears and improve myself. From design thinking to trying my hands on Figma for the first time, I have loved the journey so far and I can’t wait to experience more ahead,” said Abena Konadu Gyamfi-Afrifa, Entrepreneur-in-Training (MEST Class of 2023).

The Application Process:

    Visit the application portal and create an account

  • Complete all pre-learning courses
  • Take the aptitude test
  • Fill out and submit the MEST Training Program application form
  • Successful applicants go through the Interview stages
  • Successful applicants receive an offer from MEST Africa

“Learning sessions for the class of 2024 are set to begin in late August of 2023. For successful non-English speaking applicants, MEST will also provide a language and cultural immersion program in early August before the start of the program,”  said Emily  Fiagbedzi, the Director of Training Program at MEST Africa.

MEST has produced some of the continent’s fastest-growing startups across various industries. Some of MEST’s past cohorts and graduating startups include the largest real estate platform in Ghana, MeQasa; CodeLn, one of the fastest-growing platforms for hiring software developers in Africa; Complete Farmer, a leading agritech business in Africa and Kudobuzz, a SaaS company that builds tools to help eCommerce merchants build trust and traction.

Launched in 2008 as a fully-funded program by the Meltwater Foundation, the Training Program has trained over 800 young African tech entrepreneurs, given seed investment to and supported over 80 startups, and created thousands of jobs across the continent for their graduates.

Applications close on 26th February 2022.

Join the Program’s official Telegram group to interact directly with the recruitment team.

About MEST:

MEST is a pan-African software and entrepreneurship training program, seed fund, and incubator helping to launch technology startups across the continent. Founded in Ghana in 2008 by serial entrepreneur Jorn Lyseggen, MEST is a 12-month program that provides critical skills training in software development, business, and communications to Africa’s burgeoning tech talent. MEST provides seed funding for the best ideas coming out of the program and continues to support the growth and development of its portfolio companies. 

To date, MEST has trained 1000s of entrepreneurs from across the continent and invested in over 80 startups across industries from Agritech, Fintech, SaaS, eCommerce, Digital Media, and Healthcare amongst others. MEST is fully funded by the Meltwater Foundation, the non-profit arm of the Norwegian company Meltwater; a global leader in social and media intelligence headquartered in San Francisco.

SENEGAL’S KWELY EMERGES AS WINNER OF THE 2022 MEST AFRICA CHALLENGE 

Accra, 6th December 2022: MEST Africa has announced Senegalese tech startup Kwely as the winner of the 2022 edition of the MEST Africa Challenge (MAC); a pan-African tech startup pitch competition. 

Kwely is a digital made-in-Africa products distribution platform founded by Birame Sock, a Senegalese entrepreneur. The startup joins MAC’s winning startups such as Tanzania’s Kilimo Fresh, Ghana’s OZE, South Africa’s Snode Technologies, Kenya’s Waya Waya, and Nigeria’s Accounteer to receive US$50,000 in equity investment, access to expert business coaches, mentors, and global investors. 

“Winning the MEST Africa Challenge really means a lot to me and the Kwely Team. The journey of an entrepreneur is never easy but it really is a passion from my heart. Getting this recognition gives us the push and confidence that we need to forge ahead. When things get difficult, it is important to remember that we have a network of amazing people around us who are rooting for us.” said Birame Sock, founder and CEO of Kwely. 

The female-founded startup emerged as the winner out of four other startup finalists from Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa. The announcement was made at the Demo Day and Final Pitch Competition held in Accra to culminate a four-month period of shortlisting over 500 tech startups from 5 African countries.

Speaking on the MEST Africa Challenge’s Grand finale, MEST Africa’s Director of Portfolio, Melissa Nsiah said:

“This year’s MAC competition had 5 winners from each of our key markets. After reading through hundreds of applications and meeting dozens of brilliant and innovative founders from across the continent, I became even more excited about technology startups on the continent and even more convinced that it would be impossible to pick one overall winner. The talent is just immense! But with the help of our judges and boisterous live and virtual audience, a final overall winner emerged in Birame Sock of Kwely from Senegal. We are thrilled to welcome Kwely into the MEST portfolio.” 

Since its inception in 2018, the MEST Africa Challenge (MAC), has provided a platform for hundreds of technology startups all across the continent to raise funding, build industry networks and gain global visibility. This year’s competition opened in July and received hundreds of applications from startups in 5 African markets – Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Senegal, and South Africa.

The 2022 MEST Africa Challenge was organized in association with Absa Bank Ghana and supported by Codeln, Copianto, Google, Dream VC, Heny, Impact Hub- Dakar, Hubspot for Startups, Paystack, Wiflix.  

Grace Anim-Yeboah, Director of Business Banking at Absa Bank said, “We are a bank that is interested in the total transformation of the continent through innovation and creativity. Every day we see great potential all around us and it excites us. Our partnership with MEST is a true stroke of inspiration and will provide lots of opportunities for startup companies and also provide next-generation ideas for the continent’s socio-economic growth. I am happy for the winning team from Senegal; we look forward to a closer collaboration with you and the others, as we look forward to creating an ecosystem that will feed the world.”

Following the application stage through the competition’s online portal, a shortlist of 36 technology startups from 5 African countries was announced to enter the regional pitch competition, from which the final 5 finalists were chosen. The finalists and regional winners; Sproutly (Nigeria), Kwely (Senegal), Swoove (Ghana), Hisa (Kenya) and Desert Green Africa (South Africa) were flown to Ghana to represent their respective countries on Demo Day. 

About the 2022 MEST Africa Challenge 

In its fourth year, MAC 2022 is a call for technology startups in 5 African markets – Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Senegal, and South Africa to vie for the ultimate prize of USD 50,000 in equity investment. Finalists will gain exclusive access to the MEST Community including expert business coaches and mentors, global investors, and a wide selection of prizes and packages contributed by MEST partners across the continent. Finalists from each country will attend the MEST Africa Demo Day in Accra, Ghana on December 1, 2022, where they will once again compete on a global stage for up to $50,000 in equity investment and the opportunity to join the MEST Portfolio and global community.

About MEST Africa

MEST is a pan-African software and entrepreneurship training program, seed fund, and incubator helping to launch technology startups across the continent. Founded in Ghana in 2008 by serial entrepreneur Jorn Lyseggen, MEST is a 12-month program that provides critical skills training in software development, business, and communications to Africa’s burgeoning tech talent. MEST provides seed funding for the best ideas coming out of the program and continues to support the growth and development of its portfolio companies. 

To date, MEST has trained 1000s of entrepreneurs from across the continent and invested in over 80 startups across industries from Agritech, Fintech, SaaS, eCommerce, Digital Media, and Healthcare amongst others. MEST is fully funded by the Meltwater Foundation, the non-profit arm of the Norwegian company Meltwater; a global leader in social and media intelligence headquartered in San Francisco.

Visit www.meltwater.org to learn more.

MEST Africa Challenge announces the top 5 finalists going into the  final stage of the competition

MEST Africa has announced Sproutly (Nigeria), Kweli (Senegal), Swoove (Ghana), Hisa (Kenya) and Desert Green Africa (South Africa) as the startups who will be into the grand finale of the 2022 MEST Africa Challenge pitch competition. 

The pan-African pitch competition opened applications in July this year for pre-seed and seed-stage technology startups in Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Kenya, and South Africa to bid for the ultimate prize of $50,000.

After going through the online application, regional pitches, and founder interview phases of the competition, these 5 finalists have been selected for the final pitch. Each startup will represent their country at the Demo Day and Final Pitch Competition that will be held in Accra Ghana in December 2022. 

Speaking on the selection of the top 5 startups, the Director of Portfolio at MEST Africa, Melissa Nsiah said:

“It hasn’t been an easy process. Mostly because, this year, we saw so many valid business models and met some incredible founders with huge visions that align very closely with ours. But in the final analysis we were able to zero in on the cream of the crop to select the top 5 companies from Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Senegal and South Africa in alignment with this year’s selection criteria. Our team is eager to work closely with each of the 5 finalists in preparation towards the final competition day in December.” 

Here are details of the startups who have made it in the 2022 MEST Africa Challenge:

Sproutly Inc (Nigeria)

Digital Banking, Tuition Financing for Teens & Students and Payments, Education Management and Credits for Schools. Learn more https://sproutlyhq.com/ 

Kwely Inc (Senegal)

An innovative made-in-Africa B2B brand incubation and digital distribution platform. 

Swoove Inc (Ghana)

Swoove is a last mile delivery and fulfillment tech startup beuilding ecommmerce infrastructure for SME’s and commerce companies on the continent. Learn more https://www.swoove.delivery 

Hisa Inc (Kenya)

Building the tech infrastructure for investing in Africa. Learn more: https://hisa.co/ 

Desert Green Africa Agri-Investments (South Africa)

Desert Green is an Agritech transforming the Informal Agri-value chain in Africa by providing a more efficient delivery of Fresh produce from small scale farmers to informal traders. Learn more www.desertgreen.co.za

MEST will provide the winning startup with investment capital to the amount of $50,000, coaching and access to a global network of resources and partners as they build and scale successful businesses that add value to African economies and livelihoods.

All participating startups will have the opportunity to benefit from a host of exciting perks from MEST Africa and its strategic partners including global visibility, building their networks, professional coaching, mentorship from experts, and the opportunity to join the global MEST community for lifetime benefits.

About the 2022 MEST Africa Challenge 

In its fourth year, MAC 2022 is a call for technology startups in 5 African markets – Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Senegal, and South Africa to vie for the ultimate prize of USD 50,000 in equity investment. Finalists will gain exclusive access to the MEST Community including expert business coaches and mentors, global investors, and a wide selection of perk prizes and packages contributed by MEST partners across the continent. Finalists from each country will attend the MEST Africa Demo Day in Accra, Ghana on December 1st, 2022, where they will once again compete on a global stage for up to $50,000 in equity investment and the opportunity to join the MEST Portfolio and global community.

The competition has received thousands of applications from around the continent since its inception. It has spotlighted and impacted the growth of winning startups such as Tanzania’s Kilimo Fresh, Ghana’s OZE, South Africa’s Snode Technologies, Kenya’s Waya Waya, and Nigeria’s Accounteer.

About MEST Africa:

MEST is a pan-African software and entrepreneurship training program, seed fund, and incubator helping to launch technology startups across the continent. Founded in Ghana in 2008 by serial entrepreneur Jorn Lyseggen, MEST is a 12-month program that provides critical skills training in software development, business, and communications to Africa’s burgeoning tech talent. MEST provides seed funding for the best ideas coming out of the program and continues to support the growth and development of its portfolio companies. 

To date, MEST has trained 1000s of entrepreneurs from across the continent and invested in over 80 startups across industries from Agritech, Fintech, SaaS, eCommerce, Digital Media, and Healthcare amongst others. MEST is fully funded by the Meltwater Foundation, the non-profit arm of the Norwegian company Meltwater; a global leader in social and media intelligence headquartered in San Francisco. Learn more at www.meltwater.org 

Media Contact: Leila@meltwater.org 

 

MEST Africa Challenge 2022: Here are the shortlisted startups going into the regional competition stage

MEST Africa has announced a shortlist of 36 qualified technology startups from 5 African countries who will be going into the regional pitch competition stage of the 2022 MEST Africa Challenge.

The Next Stage of the Competition

MEST has shared some key updates on the MEST Africa Challenge and  the upcoming regional competitions. 

The regional competition stage will see the shortlisted startups placed into 4 main pitching groups that will participate in virtual pitch competitions scheduled to take place between 10th and 13th October 2022. Each pitch competition will be adjudicated by a panel of expert judges from around the continent. 

From the regional pitch stage, 10 finalists will be selected for the next stage, which will consist of  individual interviews with the company  founders. Following the interview stage, 5 startups will be selected, one from each market, to come to Ghana for the Final Pitch Competition and Demo Day.

Speaking on the selection process and changes to the regional competitions, the Director of Portfolio at MEST Africa Melissa Nsiah said:

MAC has been an absolute thrill and we aren’t even at the finals yet! From planning, to launching the actual competition, combing through 100’s of applications, the entire journey to select our top 37 startups to move forward to regional finals has been an exciting learning curve. Moving forward from last year’s fully virtual competition, I am impressed by the planning team’s creative approach in merging both virtual and in person pitch styles to widen our audience and deliver the best overall experience for our partners and contestants alike.

Meet the MAC Regional Finalists:

STARTUP SECTOR COUNTRY
Digistore Fintech Ghana
Wala Digital Health Health Tech Ghana
Swoove Inc Logistics Tech Ghana
AppCycling Ghana LTD E-Waste Management & Recycling Ghana
Utopia Technologies Technology Ghana
GAPhealth Technologies Ltd. Health tech Ghana
Synatech Africa Software as a Service Kenya
Nutritech Solutions Health care Kenya
Afriagrimark Enterprise Limited AgriTech Kenya
MOBI-REMIT SOLUTIONS LIMITED Financial Technology Kenya
EASYHOUSE AFRICA Proptech/Fintech/Edtech Kenya
mSwali Mobile gaming Kenya
Hisa Inc Fintech Kenya
ZEDA BROTHERS LTD (Parent Company)/ Helene ERP/Accounting Nigeria
Mytherapist.ng Mental Health Services Mental Health / Wellness Nigeria
Angel’s Radar Financial Services Nigeria
Fostaco Agriculture Nigeria
Bridge Merchant Enterprise Agritech Nigeria
AWI Agricultural Venture Agri-Tech Nigeria
Sanwo Technologies Limited TrustTech Nigeria
ROYALTI DIGITAL MUSIC SOLUTIONS LIMITED Media & Entertainment Nigeria
Niteon LLC Marketplace, Procurement, Logistics, web 3.0 Nigeria
MyFoodAngels AgricTech/FoodTEch Nigeria
Goods and Services 360 Ltd Clean Cooking Nigeria
Sproutly Inc. Fintech/ Edtech Nigeria
KaCyber Technologies ICT (Transport Tech) Senegal
Kweli SAS / Kweli Inc B2B Marketplace Senegal
INSURIS INSURTECH Sénégal
Sodishop E-commerce/ elogistique Senegal
PROXALYS Retail/Ecommerce Senegal
SENDRA (Sénégalaise de Déconstruction et de Recyclage Automobile) CleanTech Senegal
Dots for Inc. Telecommunication and information technology in African rural areas Senegal
Zimi Charge (Pty) Ltd E-Mobility South Africa
Dove Air Inc Healthcare South Africa
Thumel Technologies Logistic South Africa
Desert Green Africa Agri Investments Agritech South Africa

Key benefits of the program:

  • Funding of up to $50,000 for the winning startup
  • Perk prizes from MEST’s Strategic Partners
  • Global visibility
  • Opportunity to build your networks
  • Professional coaching
  • Mentorship from experts
  • Opportunity to join the global MEST Community for lifetime benefits

Learn more and follow the journeys of the selected startups here

About the 2022 MEST Africa Challenge 

In its fourth year, MAC 2022 is a call for technology startups in 5 African markets – Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Senegal and South Africa to vie for the ultimate prize of USD 50,000 in equity investment. Finalists will gain exclusive access to the MEST Community including expert business coaches and mentors, global investors and a wide selection of perk prizes and packages contributed by MEST partners across the continent. Finalists from each country will attend the MEST Africa Demo Day in Accra, Ghana on December 1st 2022, where they will once again compete on a global stage for up to $50,000 in equity investment and the opportunity to join the MEST Portfolio and global community.

The competition has received thousands of applications from around the continent since its inception. It has spotlighted and impacted the growth of winning startups such as Tanzania’s Kilimo Fresh, Ghana’s OZE, South Africa’s Snode Technologies, Kenya’s Waya Waya, and Nigeria’s Accounteer.

About MEST Africa:

MEST is a pan-African software and entrepreneurship training program, seed fund, and incubator helping to launch technology startups across the continent. Founded in Ghana in 2008 by serial entrepreneur Jorn Lyseggen, MEST is a 12-month program that provides critical skills training in software development, business, and communications to Africa’s burgeoning tech talent. MEST provides seed funding for the best ideas coming out of the program and continues to support the growth and development of its portfolio companies. 

To date, MEST has trained 1000s of entrepreneurs from across the continent and invested in over 80 startups across industries from Agritech, Fintech, SaaS, eCommerce, Digital Media, and Healthcare amongst others. MEST is fully funded by the Meltwater Foundation, the non-profit arm of the Norwegian company Meltwater; a global leader in social and media intelligence headquartered in San Francisco. Learn more at www.meltwater.org 

Media Contact: Leila@meltwater.org

The MEST Africa Challenge is on for 2022

ACCRA, Ghana, 29th July 2022 – MEST Africa has officially announced the opening of applications for the 2022 MEST Africa Challenge.

Pre-seed to seed stage technology startups in Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Kenya, and South Africa are invited to apply to participate in the regional competitions to be held in these countries in October this year. Two finalists will be selected from each country to participate in the final Demo Day Pitch event to be held in Accra, Ghana for the ultimate prize of $50,000 in equity.  

Entries will be accepted till 30th August 2022 through the competition’s online application portal.

Speaking on the 2022 edition of the competition, MEST Africa’s Director of Portfolio, Melissa Nsiah said, “We are excited to bring back this competition to give more African Startups a platform to showcase and build on their unique value in an era where African startups and innovations are taking center stage and gaining global recognition and investments. We look forward to an invigorating season that will increase the drive towards building better businesses in Africa.” 

Run by pan-African training program, seed fund, incubator and hub, MEST Africa, the MEST Africa Challenge (MAC) is Africa’s go-to pitch competition for technology startups looking to get to the next level of their growth journey. The challenge provides a stage for technology start-ups to raise funding, build industry networks and gain international visibility that would serve them well in growing and expanding their businesses. 

The competition has received thousands of applications from around the continent since its inception. It has spotlighted and impacted the growth of winning startups such as Tanzania’s Kilimo Fresh, Ghana’s OZE, South Africa’s Snode Technologies, Kenya’s Waya Waya, and Nigeria’s Accounteer.

Eligibility Criteria for MAC 2022:

  • Pre-seed or seed-stage (have raised $100k total or less cumulatively since inception)
  • Currently generating revenue 
  • Can demonstrate traction in one or more of the five MAC Markets (Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Senegal)
  • Has been in operation for 2 years or less
  • Tech-enabled (software company)
  • Industry agnostic
  • Any business model (B2B, B2C, B2B2C, B2G etc…)

Key benefits of the program:

  • Funding of up to $50,000
  • Perk prizes from MEST Strategic Partners
  • Global visibility
  • Build your networks
  • Professional coaching
  • Mentorship from experts
  • Join the global MEST Community for lifetime benefits

Learn more and apply here before the 30th August 2022.

MEST APPOINTS MELISSA NSIAH AS DIRECTOR OF PORTFOLIO

ACCRA, Ghana, 22 June 2022 – MEST, Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology, has announced the appointment of Melissa Nsiah as its new Director of Portfolio.

Previously Program Manager for Stanford Seed West and South Africa, Melissa will be working closely with MEST Africa’s Founder, Jorn Lyseggen, to provide leadership and direction to the MEST portfolio companies, with a key focus on helping the companies with strategies around growth and scale. 

With an extensive background in operations, project management, user experience, and program design, Melissa brings real-world experience in leading businesses, building innovative and effective teams, developing systems, and business coaching. 

Commenting on the appointment, Founder Jorn Lyseggen stated, “Melissa is a unique combination of entrepreneur, executive, and business coach with an in-depth experience from doing business on the African continent as well as the US market. She is mission-driven and cares deeply about the growing tech ecosystem on the African continent. We are honoured to welcome Melissa to the MEST team.” 

Melissa is also a champion of sustainability and STEAM and spends the majority of her time outside of work fundraising for youth STEAM education and advocating for anti-pollution and green initiatives. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Stanford University in Management Science and Engineering with a special focus on the intersection between technology and society.

MEST Training Program Updates - Deadline Extension & New Dates

The deadline for applying for our 12-month Training Program in technology and entrepreneurship has now been extended by various dates to give applicants from different parts of the continent an opportunity to participate in the 2023 program.

The deadline extension differs from country to country;

  • Applications from Ghana, Nigeria, and the rest of the continent have been extended to 25th April 2022
  • Applications from Senegal have been extended to 4th May 2022
  • Applications from Kenya have been extended to 9th May 2022
  • Applications from South Africa have been extended to 1st June 2022

Applications for the Class of 2023 were opened in February this year to every young aspiring tech entrepreneur on the continent and were initially set to run till the 20th of April 2022.

“We are excited about the overwhelming interest shown by potential applicants across the continent throughout this recruitment phase. We hope the deadline extension will allow all interested applicants, especially those from new markets such as Senegal, adequate time to prepare and apply to be part of the next cohort of aspiring technology entrepreneurs starting in August this year,” said Emily Fiagbedzi, Director of Training Program at MEST Africa.

The Application Process:

  • Complete Pre-learning courses
  • Take an aptitude test
  • Fill and submit the MEST Training Program application form
  • Interviews
  • Offer

Successful applicants of the one-year fully-sponsored program will gain access to world-class education in software development, business and communication skills from MEST’s campus in Accra, Ghana. At the end of the year-long program, all the Entrepreneurs-in-training form teams, and startups and pitch their business idea for up to $100,000 in seed funding, business incubation, and a lifetime of support from MEST Africa’s global community of experts and founders.

Over 800 tech entrepreneurs and experts have been trained through this program since 2008 and we have invested in over 80 tech startups. We have also produced some of the finest startups transforming sectors and scaling across the continent such as meQasa, Complete Farmer, Kudobuzz and CodeLn among others.

Apply here.

Our 2021 in Perspective

After thriving through the uncertain times of 2020, 2021 set us on a path to achieve greater heights. The year marked a time of realignment and deepening of our commitment to the African technology and startup ecosystem. We acknowledge and appreciate all our partners who continued on this journey with us and are grateful for the remarkable work that our various units and teams at MEST did to achieve the many milestones of this year.

Notable among them was the reopening and extension of applications for the 2022 Training Program. Regardless of the delays and the extension of the application process which saw over a thousand people apply from Ghana and Nigeria, we are excited to welcome 53 outstanding individuals into the 2022 MEST Africa Training Program.

Other flagship programs like the MEST Africa Challenge and MEST Africa Summit were also put on hold this year due to the pandemic. But this made way for us to engage and support even more entrepreneurs across the continent while continuing to support the growth of our portfolio companies.

Our portfolio companies have shown a lot of resilience and keep innovating throughout these uncertain times. We are very proud of all they have achieved this year and send a special shoutout to the following companies who achieved some major successes this year:

Complete Farmer, Leti Arts, Kweza, Tendo, Judy, BezoMoney, Shopa and Wiflix

The growth of our portfolio companies has also been supported by our amazing partners.

Other significant highlights for this year include:

  • We continued to work and impact the ecosystem alongside partners such as Mastercard Foundation, UNICEF, GIZ, IFC, The European Union, Care International, Africa Development Bank, SANAD and Danida.
  • We launched MEST Scale, a venture accelerator focused on enabling SMEs in Ghana to scale.
  • In partnership with the Mastercard Foundation and leading innovation hubs in Ghana, we’ve expanded our program reach to Wa, Tamale, Takoradi, Kumasi, Bolgatanga, Cape Coast and Ho
  • We had the opportunity to work alongside some ecosystem players on the Digilogic Africa, Smart Cities Innovation Programme, AFDB Business Development Services, and WeGrow Hackathon projects.
  • We partnered with the French Chamber of Commerce Ghana to bring together innovative startups and leading corporate organizations to foster more corporate-startup partnerships.
  • Our impact in the ecosystem led to a feature on CNN as one of the organizations contributing to Ghana’s rising tech scene.
  • As a result of all the work, we have also welcomed a cohort of new entrepreneurs into our community for a lifetime of growth, support, and access.

As was earlier announced, I will be transitioning from the Managing Director position to become a Portfolio Advisor at MEST while I pursue a new fintech company. My 6+ years at MEST have been truly rewarding and have also influenced these next steps in my growth journey. I look forward to continuing to support our founder Jorn Lyseggen, the rest of the leadership team, and our entrepreneurs.

For the team at MEST who bring it all to life, one thing has stayed true; the passion to strive for and achieve the highest possible standards together. I appreciate you all.

Enjoy this holiday special from the MEST family. Happy holidays!

– Ashwin Ravichandran(Outgoing Managing Director, MEST Africa)