Making A Difference Around Africa (MADAA)
WHAT IS MADAA
Making A Difference Around Africa
The MADAA project is a Sahara Group Foundation initiative designed to spotlight, support and provide business advisory services to innovators, inventors, entrepreneurs, and researchers across Africa who have developed proven and tested products or solutions to everyday problems using LOCAL and NATURAL RESOURCES to create impactful businesses in their communities. The MADAA project aligns with our mission to drive sustainable development by empowering grassroots innovation, strengthening community-based enterprises, and promoting environmentally conscious business practices.
The project has kicked off in Africa (piloting in Nigeria) and will support relevant and innovative home-grown innovations to succeed and grow as sustainable business ventures as well as encourage entrepreneurship amongst African youths and inspire them to embrace it as a career option rather than something to fall back on when everything else fails.
MADAA is seeking out African innovators, researchers, entrepreneurs or inventors who have discovered the use of locally sourced and naturally available resources in addressing sustainability or other socio-economic problems.
WHY MADAA
Making A Difference Around Africa
The Making A Difference Around Africa (MADAA) project will beam the searchlight in every nook and cranny of Africa to identify and support inventors, innovators, entrepreneurs, and researchers across Africa to excel.
TIMELINE
Activity Line-Up
1 November 2024
Launch of Application Form
1 November - 31 December 2024
Submission of Entries
31 December 2024
Deadline for Submission of Entries
6 - 17 January 2025
Screening of Submissions
30 January 2025
Announcement of Successful Extrapreneurs
1 - 14 February 2025
Visit of Successful Extrapreneurs
17 February 2025
Announcement of the Final Four (4) Extrapreneurs
24 February - 7 March 2025
MADAA Advisory Support (Mentorship)
10 March 2025
Close Out Event
Who Can Apply
Individuals who have identified ways to use locally sourced, naturally available resources to address sustainability or other socio-economic challenges, and who have developed existing solution prototypes to solve societal problems.
African Innovators
Who have discovered the use of locally sourced naturally available, or occurring, resources in addressing sustainability or other socio-economic issues and have existing solution prototypes to solve societal problems.
Visionaries
With tried-and-tested innovations ready for advancement into finished products.
Academic researchers, innovators, and members of communities
Who have solutions, or tested hypotheses eager to bring their work to fruition.
Entrepreneurs
Seeking opportunities for scalability and breakthrough into the market.
Objectives of MADAA
The objectives of the MADAA project are centered around empowering African innovators, entrepreneurs, and researchers by providing the support they need to turn locally developed solutions into sustainable businesses that drive community and economic growth.
To support relevant and innovative home-grown innovations to succeed and grow as sustainable business ventures.
To encourage entrepreneurship amongst African youths and inspire them to embrace it as a career option rather than something to fall back on when everything else fails.
Inspire researchers and innovators to develop new innovations that address everyday challenges while providing opportunities for improved socio-economic well-being of the populace.
To create a pipeline of energetic, and passionate innovators and entrepreneurs who can deploy innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship to solve everyday problems and create job opportunities.
To position Sahara Group and its affiliates, as a thought leader and an organization at the forefront of supporting and inspiring youth entrepreneurship in Africa and emerging economies.
To encourage reverse innovation by supporting identified deserving home-grown innovations and solutions to be marketed beyond the shores of Nigeria.
Selection Criteria
Underlisted are the elements to be considered before a solution is selected:
Relevance
What problem does the solution address, who is affected, and how urgent is it? What are the broader impacts on people and the environment, and what are the risks of not acting now?
Innovation
Is the solution a novel (never seen before) and an extraordinary idea or is it an improvement on an existing solution? If it is an improvement on an existing solution, what is unique to this solution?
Impact
How wide and deep will the impact of this solution be?
Scalable
How scalable is the solution? Is there a ready market for it? Is it easily replicable in other climes?
Profitability
Is the solution commercially viable and profitable?
VALUE PROPOSITION
Backing Big Ideas to Scale and Succeed.
- Go-to-market support.
- Legal Support (intellectual property, patenting, etc).
- Business Advisory.
- Brand Management Support.
The objective is to provide all of the above, which is worth over $100,000,000 to ensure the selected innovators, researchers, inventors, and entrepreneurs, build their ideas or solutions into successful businesses that will grow, scale, and thrive.
