Frequently asked questions

The Academy admits African-founded organizations that are legally registered and have been in continuous operation for at least two years. Your organization must be based in Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, or Zambia and must work in health, education, energy, or agriculture. Your founder or chief executive must be engaged in the organization on a full-time basis.

No. Each cohort admits organizations that have not previously been through the Academy. Places in Cohort 2 are held for organizations entering for the first time. Cohort 1 organizations remain members of the alumni network and keep their performance record. They retain access to MoFund's funding pipeline and are invited to the monthly alumni sessions.

Yes. Applications for the next cohort open on the same published terms, and an earlier application does not count against you. Some outcomes turn on a criterion you can meet later, such as time in operation or an established customer base. Applying again once you meet it is the right course of action.

Internal and external evaluators score every application, followed by a due diligence process.

Verification confirms the claims made at application and validates the use of your products, services or programs by the community you serve.

Shortlisted candidates are notified in mid-December 2026 and informed of next steps.

The Academy is free for founders who qualify to join. Founders may fund their own travel costs to physical engagements within their city.

Graduates may receive funding as debt financing or as grants. Graduating from the Academy is not a guarantee of funding; this depends on decisions by the investment committee on the impact potential of each individual organization.

Impact potential, the responsiveness and completeness of the data you submit throughout the program, and attendance at the Academy sessions.

Yes, at the pitch stage. MoFund builds the stakeholder list for each country and sector, and invites investors and industry participants into the pitch rooms. MoFund Africa does not guarantee a deal from these introductions.

The Academy organizes three physical sessions in a city near you. All three physical sessions are mandatory for graduation.

Tell the program team in advance. Attendance at the in-person sessions is compulsory, and the live sessions carry the material that the coaching and the reporting build on. A single absence agreed in advance is manageable. Sustained non-attendance and persistent failure to report are grounds for withdrawal from the program.

No. The Academy is built around operational changemakers, and your time is factored in so that nothing stops.

MoFund works with universities in each of the four countries. You state the support your organization requires, and MoFund sources an intern to meet that requirement. MoFund contracts the intern and pays the stipend for the support period.

Transport cost coverage where needed, working tools and defined tasks for the intern, and guidance and support for their wellbeing.

No, the intern is paid by MoFund. We are keen to see how many founders take on their interns in full-time roles after the internship.

SikaIQ is MoFund's performance platform. It holds your growth strategy, the baseline data recorded at onboarding, and the reporting you submit through the program. Your coach reports progress into it, and the intern placement is monitored there. It is the system MoFund and its funding partners use to see how your organization has performed.

Revenue, employment, and delivery against the growth strategy you set at onboarding, reported every two months. The reporting is built around information you already track. Founders own their data even after graduating from the Academy.

The program team, your coach, and MoFund's delivery partner in your country. The consent statement covering use and any disclosure to a third party is published with the application form.

Yes. Your SikaIQ record stays with your organization. It is the documented account of how you performed against commitments you set yourself. It is also the evidence a funder, a lender, or a larger partner asks for.

Membership of the Academy alumni network, which meets online every quarter. The network includes investors and philanthropies that would like to be part of the alumni's impact work.

An organization that does not complete the program does not graduate or join the alumni network. It is also not considered for funding, since this decision rests on the record built across the ten months. You are, however, eligible to apply to the next cohort.