The challenge and what we wanted to achieve 

Across Africa, young climate entrepreneurs are developing practical ideas to address energy insecurity, waste, water scarcity and other climate-related challenges. However, many struggle to move beyond the concept stage due to limited access to technical support, funding and incubation. The Africa PachiPanda Challenge, an initiative of MTN Group in partnership with WWF, was created to identify and support these ideas and help them scale. Its objective is to catalyse inclusive green entrepreneurship by giving young innovators the skills, visibility and networks needed to turn environmental challenges into practical, scalable solutions. Building on this continental platform, the PachiPanda Indalopreneur Programme (a partnership between MTN South Africa, Nedbank and Indalo Inclusive NPC) provides deeper, hands-on incubation for a South African cohort, with the first Indalovator training workshop held in Pretoria in May 2025. 

What we did 

The workshop brought together 15 young entrepreneurs working in early-stage clean- and green-tech enterprises. Ten participants were selected from MTN’s Africa PachiPanda Challenge finalists, with five selected through a national call for applications. Each enterprise received technical support and grant funding to help refine and test its solutions through the proof-of-concept stage. For Maluta Netshaulu, Head of Social Impact Portfolio Development at Nedbank, the partnership supports a better future for the country: “It allows us to invest in the ingenuity of South Africa’s youth,” he said. Rest Kanju, Director of Indalo Inclusive NPC, agrees: “We are proud to support a platform that enables young innovators to turn environmental challenges into scalable solutions.” 

Outcomes and impact 

The programme is designed to help entrepreneurs move faster from idea to proof-of-concept, strengthen investment readiness and support climate-aligned innovation that contributes to community resilience and long-term sustainability. Participants began building core business skills, refining their prototypes and learning how to position their solutions for scale. 

Lessons learnt 

Looking ahead, stronger monitoring frameworks, clearer post-incubation pathways and more opportunities for pilot projects will help deepen the programme’s long-term impact and support the next phase of growth for participating entrepreneurs.