The Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) has launched the second edition of the DBSA Youth Challenge, a competition aimed at harnessing innovative solutions from young people in South Africa to help address infrastructure challenges.
Young people aged between 18 and 35 are invited to submit their innovative infrastructure development ideas across various sectors, including transport, housing and human settlements, information and communications technology, water and sanitation, energy and education.
Winning and finalist entries will be eligible for funding worth a total of R1.5-million for the execution of their ideas.
The winners and finalists will also be awarded a 12-month mentorship programme to assist with executing their innovative ideas and building them into successful businesses.
All entries should be in the ideation stage and should not have been prototyped.
Submissions will close on July 31 and the winner will be announced during September.
“The emergence of Covid-19 has shown some cracks in the infrastructure endowment of many countries, including South Africa, highlighting the urgency of the need for meaningful solutions. The DBSA Youth Challenge is one of the many ways the bank is inviting young people to participate and help make a difference to these challenges in their own communities,” says DBSA communications and marketing head Sebolelo Matsoso.
“The competition is a great springboard for young people to explore and package their innovative ideas and use them to participate in the economy at scale. This is a key driver for the DBSA hence the competition has been developed to ensure ample guidance, mentorship and support for the winner and finalists,” notes Matsoso.