Key AECF Conditions:

The applicant must be a private sector, for-profit, entity. This includes companies limited by shares, public listed companies, sociétés anonymes, co-operative societies registered under the relevant legal framework etc. It also includes sole traders and partnerships. We ask for registration numbers/references and the number of years trading track record.

In exceptional cases the AECF will fund new businesses (start-ups) where there is strong evidence that the new company has credible investors and demonstrable capacity to implement the project.

The AECF's minimum grant + repayable grant size is US$250,000 and maximum is US$1.5m.

In most competition windows, the Company/applicant must invest at least the same amount as the AECF's contribution to the cost of implementing the idea (i.e. 50:50, in cash or kind ). In certain cases such as the Fragile States or Zimbabwe Windows, this ratio is reduced to 40:60 in favour of the applicant. However, as a general rule, the 50:50 split is a minimum and applications with a higher leverage will be viewed more favourably, all other things being equal.

The business idea must be innovative (a new product, service or business model in an existing market or an existing product, service or business model in a new market, country, geographical area or target group).

The funds requested from the AECF must be additional. i.e. the project would not take place, or would not take place at the same size or scale, without AECF funding.

The business idea must have the potential to be commercially viable so that benefits can be sustained beyond the period of AECF support.

The business idea/project must benefit large numbers of people living in rural areas in Africa.

Ideally all projects supported by the AECF should contribute to some level of systemic change in the market system in which the project/business idea takes place. The objective is to leave behind market systems that work better for the rural poor rather than helping a single company to do better business.

How does my business apply?

The application is a web-based (on-line) process and anyone accessing the application forms for any particular window will automatically register with the AECF as they do so. We do understand that not every enquiry will result in a completed application but all registrations will automatically receive reminders and information regarding future competition rounds. If you would prefer to cancel your registration, please let us know at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Similarly, if you experience difficulty with the application, please describe your problem in an email to this address and we will do our best to assist. Make sure you have studied the on-line help available first. This comes in three forms; there are downloadable Quick Guides to each step of the application process; the application steps are accompanied by help boxes with summaries of the Guides; finally there is a live support feature enabling us to respond to queries.

We believe that the application steps are easy to fill in. They have been set up so that you can edit, change or modify them over the whole period that the completion is open. The facility allows you to input/edit each step of the application and also to view what the completed form looks like. Remember to press ‘submit’ when you are happy with the result, but even then, be assured that submitted applications can still be retrieved and changed again, at any time, right up to the deadline.