MEST Africa AI Startup Program (formerly MEST Training Program)
Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST Africa)
Fully sponsored 12-month residential programme in Accra (7 months AI-venture training + 4 months incubation) for West and East African software developers aged 21-35, with flights, healthcare and up to USD 100,000 pre-seed investment. Class of 2027 closed 20 July 2026.
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Eligibility
- Who can apply
- Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Kenya, West africa
- Education required
- Bachelors completed
- Age
- from 21 up to 35 (Aged 21-35)
- Fields
- Entrepreneurship, Computer science
- Residency
- West or East African citizens; core recruitment and in-person interviews in Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and Kenya (others must self-fund travel to interviews)
- Also required
- Bachelor's degree, diploma or equivalent experience
- Demonstrated software development experience and basic understanding of AI
- Strong interest in entrepreneurship; able to relocate to Accra full-time for the programme
About this opportunity
MEST Africa, headquartered in Accra, runs the MEST AI Startup Program: an 'up to 12-month immersive experience' in which participants 'form a team, validate a real AI business idea, build and deploy an MVP' over seven months, then enter a four-month incubation; high-performing ventures can receive up to USD 100,000 in pre-seed investment. It is fully sponsored at no cost to participants, covers flights to Ghana and healthcare, and requires full-time in-person participation in Accra.
Class of 2027 eligibility: West or East African citizen (core recruitment in Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal and Kenya), aged 21-35, with a bachelor's degree, diploma or equivalent experience, software development experience, basic AI understanding and strong interest in entrepreneurship. Selection includes a video application, assessment and in-person interviews; start January 2027.
- Level
- Early career
- Where
- Ghana
- Duration
- Up to 12 months (7 months training + 4 months incubation)
- Difficulty
- High · about 3 weeks to prepare
Funding
Fully funded
- tuition
- training
- travel
- health insurance
Fully sponsored with no financial cost to participants; flights to Ghana and healthcare covered; up to USD 100,000 pre-seed investment for high-performing ventures. Living stipend/accommodation not stated on the pages fetched.
What you will need
- Video submission
- CV / résumé
- Other documents
Online application with video submission, followed by assessment, in-person group challenge and individual interviews.
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