MTN Nigeria Communications Plc in partnership with the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) through its local partner, the Nigeria Conservation Foundation (NCF), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Nigeria have launched the Nigeria PachiPanda Challenge, an innovation challenge designed to provide young people and youth-led SMEs the opportunity to develop innovative, long-term solutions and ideas to pressing environmental challenges and promote sustainability in Nigeria.

The challenge is part of the MTN’s Africa PachiPanda Challenge, designed to stimulate and champion innovative solutions that address urgent environmental challenges across the continent, in line with MTN’s climate entrepreneurship mandate and the group-wide sustainability strategy “Ambition 2025.”

More than a competition, the Nigeria PachiPanda Challenge is a movement that galvanises participants to think unconventionally, craft solutions that address immediate environmental challenges, and play an active role in ensuring the long-term sustainability of their communities.

The PachiPanda Challenge will:

•  Discover and incubate young people and youth-led SMEs with innovative and sustainable solutions in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Increase the participation of young people in environmental sustainability in Nigeria and provide a springboard platform for growth in terms of rewarding and scaling their innovation.
• Enhance young people’s knowledge of environmental challenges and community-led sustainable solutions.
• Provide an opportunity for young people to participate and showcase their creativity, problem-solving skills, and commitment to sustainability.
• Support innovative and sustainable solutions for environmental challenges, including climate adaptation and mitigation measures.
• Demonstrate how partnership between corporate sector players like MTN and NPOs can drive significant progress in addressing environmental challenges.

The PachiPanda Challenge invites young entrepreneurs and SMEs from Nigeria (university and college students) to enter their solutions to the challenge statements on:

1. Pollution [solutions focusing on improved waste management]

Our activities generate large amounts of waste, with dump sites a common sight in our cities, towns and villages. Despite best efforts at waste management, waste still constitutes significant pollution threats across Nigeria with attendant health and environmental risks.

How can you innovatively transform waste management in Nigeria to reduce pollution, address health and environmental hazards and build sustainability? You can share solutions for business or industrial sectors, behavioural, artistic and tech solutions.

2. Climate Change [solutions focusing on the reduction of greenhouse gases]

Human activities emit greenhouse gases – mainly carbon dioxide and methane, which are the major drivers of climate change. The effects of climate change include, among others, severe drought, water scarcity, rising sea levels, flooding and biodiversity loss.

How can you inspire innovative solutions in Nigeria’s homes and businesses to reduce emissions, fight climate change and build resilience?

3. Community Conservation [Solutions focusing on biodiversity protection and community-led conservation efforts for improved livelihood]

Conservation is most powerful when it is people-driven, designed to improve livelihood and well-being. Across Nigeria, local communities live closest to nature and hold traditional knowledge and practices that can protect ecosystems. Yet, these same communities often face poverty, limited infrastructure, and restricted access to education or resources, factors that can lead to unsustainable environmental practices.

How can you co-create a future where communities are empowered to lead conservation efforts, drive change through communal wisdom, innovation, and stewardship?

To submit an entry to any of the challenge statements, you are required to answer the following questions on the designated portal

1. Briefly describe your innovative idea or solution (Maximum of 200 words)
2. What makes your idea or solution outstanding and deserving of selection? (Maximum of 200 words)
3. How would your idea or solution impact people at the community, national and international levels? (Maximum 200 words)
4. Provide a detailed description of your innovative idea or solution, including evidence/proof of concept (Maximum of 2000 words)

Rules and eligibility:

• The Challenge is open to individuals or teams residing in Nigeria.
• Participants should be between 18 and 35.
• You may participate as an individual or form a team of a maximum of three members.
• Young entrepreneurs or youth-led SMEs with early or idea stage solutions are free to participate, with a maximum of three members.
• All participants must register online and submit entries through the designated portal before the deadline.
• Participants should provide accurate and complete personal information during registration.
• MTN Nigeria, Nigeria Conservation Foundation (NCF) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Nigeria employees, and their immediate families are not eligible to participate.
• Participants found in violation of the PachiPanda Innovation Challenge “Terms and Conditions ” or suspected of fraud, plagiarism, or unethical behaviour, will be disqualified from the Challenge.
• The organising committee reserves the right to disqualify any individual or team at its discretion.

MTN South Africa in collaboration with WWF South Africa and the Nedbank Foundation launched the 2024 PachiPanda Challenge in South Africa.
This initiative aims to mobilise the youth and youth-led SMEs to create tech-based solutions to address current environmental challenges and to promote the objectives of the Just Energy Transition in South Africa.

The PachiPanda Challenge:

• Calls upon youth and youth-led SMEs to create and develop innovative and sustainable solutions in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Capacitates and empowers the South African youth to address environmental challenges experienced in the country.
• Increases the participation of young people in environmental sustainability and climate action in South Africa.
• Promotes entrepreneurship in the green economy to facilitate increase of green jobs.
• Enhances young people’s knowledge of climate change challenges and community-led sustainable solutions.
• Support innovative and sustainable solutions for environmental challenges.

MTN South Africa in collaboration with WWF South Africa and the Nedbank Foundation launched the 2024 PachiPanda Challenge in South Africa.
This initiative aims to mobilise the youth and youth-led SMEs to create tech-based solutions to address current environmental challenges and to promote the objectives of the Just Energy Transition in South Africa.

The PachiPanda Challenge:

• Calls upon youth and youth-led SMEs to create and develop innovative and sustainable solutions in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Capacitates and empowers the South African youth to address environmental challenges experienced in the country.
• Increases the participation of young people in environmental sustainability and climate action in South Africa.
• Promotes entrepreneurship in the green economy to facilitate increase of green jobs.
• Enhances young people’s knowledge of climate change challenges and community-led sustainable solutions.
• Support innovative and sustainable solutions for environmental challenges.

Rules and eligibility:

• The Challenge is open to individuals or teams residing in South Africa.
• Participants should be between 16 and 35 years old.
• You may participate as an individual or form a team of maximum three members.
• Youth-led SMEs with early or idea stage solutions are free to participate.
• All participants must register online and submit entries through the designated portal before the deadline.
• Participants should provide accurate and complete personal information during registration.
• MTN SA and WWF South Africa employees, and their immediate families are not eligible to participate.
• Participants found in violation of the PachiPanda Challenge “Terms and Conditions” or suspected of fraud, plagiarism, or unethical behaviour, will be disqualified from the Challenge.
• The organising committee reserves the right to disqualify any individual or team at its discretion.

Pachipanda Innovation Challenge 4.0
The MTN Zambia Foundation and WWF Zambia have launched the Pachipanda Innovation Challenge 4.0, an exciting initiative that empowers young people and youth-led SMEs to develop innovative, long-term solutions to pressing environmental challenges. The challenge promotes sustainability and green entrepreneurship across Africa.

About the Challenge
Originally designed in Zambia in 2022, the Pachipanda Innovation Challenge has grown into a continental movement. In 2024, it expanded to include Cameroon, Nigeria, and South Africa, forming the Africa Pachipanda Challenge. National winners from each country now compete at the continental level for additional seed funding, training, and exposure.

What the Challenge Offers
1. Seed Funding
• 1st Place: $5,000
• 2nd Place: $3,000
• 3rd Place: $2,000

2. Mentorship & Training
• Expert mentorship through a human-centered design sprint.
• Training in business modeling, customer identification, and value proposition development.

3. Pan-African Exposure
• Winners advance to the continental Pachipanda Contest to compete with innovators across Africa.

4. Startup Support
• Top 10 teams receive ongoing support to become investment-ready.

5. Networking Opportunities
• Connect with investors, stakeholders, and fellow innovators.

6. Focus on Environmental Innovation
• Climate-resilient agriculture
• Smart water management
• Waste management and recycling
• Drought and energy challenges

Tagline: Plant. Protect. Provide.
Overarching Theme: Nourishing Tomorrow: Innovations for Food, Energy, and Water Security

Challenge 1: Innovate for Climate Change!
Calling all youth! Join the Pachipanda Innovation Challenge and unleash your creative genius to develop green solutions that heal our planet and combat climate change. Be a pioneer in shaping Zambia’s future with your bold ideas!.

Challenge 2: Energise Zambia!
Power up your imagination! Zambia faces growing energy and water challenges, and we need your groundbreaking solutions. From renewable energy innovations to smart water management systems, your ideas can help power our cities and farms sustainably. Let’s protect our natural resources and provide clean, reliable energy and water for all.

Challenge 3: Grow Smart, Eat Smart!
Jump into the future of farming! We’re looking for digital-age agricultural innovations that embrace smart, sustainable techniques. Your tech-driven solutions can help secure food for our communities, improve nutrition, and build climate-resilient food systems. Plant the seeds of change and help nourish tomorrow.

Challenge 4: Recycle Revolution!
Join the waste management movement! We need your tech-savvy ideas to transform recycling and waste reduction into everyday habits. From circular economy models to community-driven recycling innovations, your solutions can protect our environment and provide cleaner, healthier spaces for all.

RULES AND ELIGIBILITY
The PachiPanda Innovations Challenge 2025 is designed to empower and showcase innovative solutions by Zambian youth. To ensure fair participation and impactful outcomes, the following rules and eligibility criteria apply:
i. The Challenge is open to Zambian youth aged between 18 and 35 years.

ii. Participants may enter individually or as part of a team, with a maximum of three members per team.

iii. Youth-led SMEs with early-stage or existing solutions are encouraged to apply (maximum of three team members).

iv. Preference will be given to innovations that have a proof of concept and are already operational or in pilot phase.

v. Each team must designate 1 representative who has access to a laptop and can commit to a 2-week intensive training program aimed at enhancing their project.

vi. All participants must register online and submit their entries via the designated portal before the stated deadline.

vii. Participants must provide accurate and complete personal information during registration.

viii. Employees of MTN Zambia and WWF Zambia, as well as their immediate family members, are not eligible to participate.

ix. Any participant found to violate the PachiPanda Challenge Terms and Conditions, or involved in fraud, plagiarism, or unethical behaviour, will be disqualified.

x. The organising committee reserves the right to disqualify any individual or team at its sole discretion.

MTN Cameroon and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), partnered to launch the 2024 PachiPanda Challenge in Cameroon. This initiative encourages youths and youth-led SMEs to propose tech-based innovations to tackle current environmental challenges and promote sustainability practices.

The PachiPanda Challenge:

• Discovers and incubates youth and youth-led SMEs with innovative and sustainable solutions in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Increases the participation of young people in environmental sustainability and climate change in Cameroon.
• Enhances young people’s knowledge of climate change challenges and community-led sustainable solutions.
• Supports innovative and sustainable solutions for environmental challenges including the pressing matter of climate adaptation and mitigation measures.

The PachiPanda Challenge invites young entrepreneurs and SMEs from Cameroon (university and college students) to enter their solutions to the challenge statements on:

1.0 Sustainable Waste Management

Develop an innovative solution that addresses comprehensive waste management. The solution should aim to improve collecting, recycling and upcycling methods, and engage communities in sustainable waste practices. On the long term, the innovation should contribute to the implementation of a circular economy (Reduce, Recycle, and Reuse). Benefiting the environment and providing financial incentives to all participants in the value chain.

Demonstrate how technology can be used to sustainably improve waste management.

2.0 Water and Energy Resilience:

The current energy challenges experienced in Cameroon are impacting businesses and livelihoods. We are calling out for innovative sustainable energy solutions to develop technologies that will reduce dependency on water levels for power generation. And ideas to create smart water management systems for conservation in rural and urban areas are needed.

What innovative technological solution can you propose to improve water and energy resilience?

3.0 Community Development

Cameroonian communities face many environmental challenges, including floods, deforestation, coastal erosion, desertification, extreme temperatures, heavy rainfall, and drought.

Provide an innovative solution to an environmental challenge in your community using technology while focusing on the solution’s long-term sustainability. 

Rules and eligibility:

• The Challenge is open to individuals or teams residing in Cameroon.
• Participants should be between 16 and 35.
• You may participate as an individual or form a mixed team of maximum three (03) members.
• Youth-led SMEs with early or idea stage solutions are free to participate, maximum of three members.
• All participants must register online and submit entries through the designated portal before the deadline.
• Participants should provide accurate and complete personal information during registration.
• MTN Cameroon and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) employees, and their immediate families are not eligible to participate.
• Participants found in violation of the PachiPanda Challenge “Terms and Conditions” or suspected of fraud, plagiarism, or unethical behaviour, will be disqualified from the Challenge.
• The organising committee reserves the right to disqualify any individual or team at its discretion.

MTN Uganda Limited and the World Wide Fund have partnered to launch the PachiPanda Challenge for Uganda in 2025. This initiative will encourage youths and youth-led SMEs to create new ideas that tackle current environmental challenges and promote sustainability through technological solutions.

The PachiPanda Challenge:

• Discovers and incubates youth and youth-led SMEs with innovative and sustainable solutions in Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Increases the participation of young people in environmental sustainability and climate change in Uganda.
• Enhances young people’s knowledge of climate change challenges and community-led sustainable solutions.
• Supports innovative and sustainable solutions for environmental challenges including the pressing matter of climate adaptation and mitigation measures.

The PachiPanda Challenge invites young entrepreneurs and SMEs from Uganda (university and college students) to enter their solutions to the challenge statements on:

Challenge Statement 1: Sustainable Waste Management

We invite bold, tech-driven, and community-centered solutions that improve collection and recycling, turn waste into value (products or energy), use digital tools to manage and incentivize disposal, and empower youth and communities in the circular economy.

Challenge Statement 2: Deforestation and Ecosystem Degradation

We invite innovative ideas that promote clean cooking alternatives, sustainable forestry, digital monitoring of forest cover, and community-driven restoration models that create green jobs and conserve biodiversity.

Challenge Statement 3: Green Energy Solutions

We invite innovative solutions that deliver affordable renewable energy (solar, wind, biogas, mini-grids), reduce dependence on charcoal and firewood, and create inclusive business models that empower rural communities, youth, and women.

Challenge Statement 4: Smart Agriculture

We invite solutions that use digital tools (apps, sensors, data analytics, drones), climate-smart practices, and market linkages to improve yields, reduce waste, and strengthen farmer livelihoods—while protecting soil, water, and ecosystems.

• The Challenge is open to individuals or teams residing in Uganda.
• Participants should be between 16 and 35.
• You may participate as an individual or form a team of maximum three members.
• Youth-led SMEs with early or idea stage solutions are free to participate, maximum of three members.
• All participants must register online and submit entries through the designated portal before the deadline.
• Participants should provide accurate and complete personal information during registration.
• MTN Uganda and employees, and their immediate families, are not eligible to participate.
• Participants found in violation of the PachiPanda Challenge “Terms and Conditions” or suspected of fraud, plagiarism, or unethical behaviour, will be disqualified from the Challenge.
• The organising committee reserves the right to disqualify any individual or team at its discretion.