According to BFA Global, this initiative is made possible through funding from FSD Africa and the Canadian Government.

The project builds on Triggering Exponential Climate Action's (TECA's) expertise in fostering blue innovation over the last year through a successful pilot wave supported by FSD Africa.

The Africa Blue Wave will support high-potential individuals who demonstrate a passion for addressing climate issues in Africa's blue economy. It will be implemented by TECA, an initiative of BFA Global, with support from OceanHub Africa.

BFA Global says the wave will recruit 40 innovators from:
  • Kenya
  • Tanzania
  • Comoros
  • Madagascar, and
  • Mozambique.

Selected participants will receive tailored support in the form of:
  • mentorship
  • guidance from industry experts
  • networking opportunities, and
  • initial capital investment that can help them build and bring their climate and ocean solutions to market.

At the end of the wave, participants will have the opportunity to showcase their solutions and pitch their businesses to investors, potential partners and industry leaders to secure additional support and investment.

"As we embark on the Africa Blue Wave, we carry with us the invaluable lessons learned from our inaugural wave. These insights will be the cornerstone of our commitment to making this new wave bigger, better and more impactful than ever before," says Shirley Mburu, TECA program director at BFA Global.

"We've demonstrated that solutions can be homegrown by local talent, and I am excited to work with innovators to create more solutions that contribute meaningfully to local and global climate challenges," Mburu adds. 
 
"Our investment in TECA is core to our mission of financing innovation and supporting innovation in finance. Through our seeding of TECA's first blue wave this past year, we have seen firsthand the power of combining young African talent with access to expertise, networks and finance — creating new tech-enabled businesses that are solving for climate issues," says Juliet Munro, director digital innovation, FSD Africa. 

"We are excited to partner with IUCN and BFA Global on the Africa Blue Wave, extending TECA's reach to new geographies, new challenges and new innovators, leading to more, new genuinely African climate solutions," adds Munro. 

Thomas Sberna, regional head of coastal and ocean resilience at IUCN Eastern and Southern Africa, says, "The initiative aims to invest in Africa's young innovators to catalyse solutions to address ocean challenges and achieve sustained ocean health across five priority seascape areas in Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique and Tanzania."

"Our long-term goal, as envisaged in the Great Blue Wall initiative, is to transform coastal economies into drivers of positive conservation and socioeconomic development. We commend and greatly support Africa's leadership and efforts in accelerating the development of a regenerative blue economy on the continent," concludes Sberna. 

BFA Global says that applications are now open and will close on Sunday, 15 October. Interested individuals can learn more about the programme and apply online here.

For more information, visit www.fbaglobal.com. You can also follow FBA Global on X.