MTN Nigeria, in collaboration with the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) through its local partner, the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Nigeria, and Deloitte Nigeria, has announced the 2026 Nigeria PachiPanda Challenge to identify and support young innovators developing solutions for Nigeria’s environmental challenges.
The initiative, now in its third edition, comes as Nigeria faces mounting environmental and urban challenges, including pollution, waste management pressures, climate-related risks and the need to build more resilient communities while also creating economic opportunities for its growing youth population.
Under the theme “Nature Meets Innovation: Unlocking Africa’s Green Economy,” the challenge is targeting young innovators, entrepreneurs, and small and medium-sized enterprise founders between 18 and 35 years.
Participants are expected to develop practical and scalable solutions addressing environmental challenges in Nigeria across four priority areas: climate change; climate-smart cities and urban resilience; community conservation; and pollution.
MTN said the programme is designed to bridge these challenges by providing young entrepreneurs with the platform, expertise, and networks required to transform environmental ideas into commercially viable solutions.
The challenge is open to individuals and teams of up to three people. Ten finalists will be selected to participate in a four-day boot camp and pitch event in Lagos from October 19 to 22, 2026.
At the boot camp, finalists will undergo a human-centred design process focused on strengthening their business models, improving presentation and pitching skills, and refining their solutions for greater environmental and commercial impact.
The programme will culminate in a final pitch before a panel of industry experts, with the top three innovators sharing a N10 million prize pool.
The first-place winner will receive N5 million, while the second and third-place winners will receive N3 million and N2 million, respectively.
Beyond the cash prizes, the winners will gain access to industry experts, support platforms, and networks intended to help them scale their innovations. The Nigerian champions will also represent the country at the Africa PachiPanda Finale, where they will compete against national winners from other African countries.
Tobe Okigbo, chief corporate services and sustainability officer, MTN Nigeria, said environmental responsibility must be pursued alongside economic development.
“As a business deeply connected to the communities we serve, we recognise that environmental responsibility and economic development must go hand in hand,” Okigbo said.
He said the challenge would allow young innovators to develop solutions that address local environmental challenges, strengthen youth entrepreneurship and contribute to long-term sustainability.
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Joseph Onoja, director-general, NCF, said young people should be at the centre of efforts to protect the environment.
“By backing the PachiPanda challenge, we are handing the next generation the tools to protect nature and the confidence to act,” he said.
William Tsuma, chief innovation officer, UNDP Nigeria, said the initiative would help young innovators co-create solutions to real-world problems while advancing inclusive growth and sustainable development.
For Deloitte West Africa, the focus will be on helping participants turn ideas into commercially sustainable ventures.
Bernard Orji, chief growth officer, Deloitte West Africa, said “Great ideas need sharpening to succeed. Through our collaboration, we will help these young innovators pressure-test their thinking, build commercial confidence, and turn promising concepts into ventures that can scale and last”
The challenge forms part of MTN’s broader Africa PachiPanda programme and its climate entrepreneurship mandate under its Ambition 2030 sustainability strategy.
For Nigeria, the programme could provide a pipeline for locally developed environmental solutions at a time when businesses, governments, and communities are increasingly seeking commercially sustainable responses to climate and environmental pressures.
Applications opened on July 29, 2026, and will close on August 28, 2026. The selected finalists will subsequently proceed to the Lagos boot camp and pitch event in October.
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