ECOWAS Welcomes Second Cohort of COYWA Digital Entrepreneurs in Accra to Scale Women-Led Tech Startups
The Creating Opportunities for Youth and Women in Africa (COYWA) program has opened its second digital incubation cycle in Accra, equipping 120 founders with equity matching grants.
Executive Intelligence Brief
- 120 youth and women founders inducted across all 15 ECOWAS member states.
- Curriculum focused on agricultural telemetry, fintech, and cross-border logistics.
- Up to $50,000 in non-dilutive matching grant funding per qualifying startup.
- Direct regulatory guidance provided by regional central banking sandbox teams.
ACCRA, GHANA — The ECOWAS Youth and Sports Development Centre, in collaboration with regional venture incubators, has formally received the second cohort of 120 young and female tech founders at the COYWA Innovation Hub in Accra.
The selected entrepreneurs, drawn from all 15 member states, are building enterprise solutions in solar irrigation telemetry, digitized village savings and loan associations (VSLAs), and cross-border logistics dispatch.
Over the 16-week residential accelerator, participants receive specialized mentorship from senior West African fintech executives, regulatory sandbox access from central bank officers, and up to $50,000 in non-dilutive matching grants.
ECOWAS Commissioner for Human Development Professor Fatou Sow Sarr noted that closing the gender financing gap in tech is an economic imperative: 'When we empower women technologists with institutional capital, capital productivity across our rural and urban economies doubles within twenty-four months.'
Byline: Nana Ama Osei · Published: Thursday, October 29, 2026
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