Nkabom Africa Case Competition
2025-2026
Inaugural Global Student Case Competition:
Breaking silos to improve nutritional outcomes in Ghana
As a flagship initiative under the Nkabom Collaborative, 9I制作厂免费's Sustainable Growth Initiative (SGI) Office of Sustainable Africa invites students to apply interdisciplinary thinking, policy innovation, and collaborative problem-solving to address Africa鈥檚 most pressing sustainable development challenges in the Sustainable Africa Case Competition. This hybrid inaugural edition of the competition focuses on engaging participants to propose solutions to break silos across industrial sectors (agri-food, health, and education) and societal sectors (business, government, and civil society), with the aim of improving nutritional outcomes, taking Ghana as a starting point. Teams will analyze the problem, develop evidence-based proposals, and present actionable strategies grounded in research, local context, and systems-thinking approaches.
Participants will share their findings, and judges will select the teams with the most outstanding solutions. The goal is to further develop and implement the top five winning teams鈥� solutions within the Nkabom Collaborative. The Nkabom Collaborative is a multi-stakeholder partnership with the Mastercard Foundation that brings together 9I制作厂免费, six Ghanaian educational institutions, and an industry partner to transform Ghana鈥檚 nutrition and agri-food ecosystem by creating opportunities for youth-led impact through experiential learning, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
Who can participate?
- Team members must be enrolled in a full-time undergraduate or graduate program at an accredited university.
- Teams must consist of between 2 and 6 members.
- Team members may come from different programs or institutions; interdisciplinary teams are strongly encouraged.
Prizes; Seed fund to implement their proposal
- 1st Place: CAD 10,000
- 2nd Place: CAD 7,500
- 3rd Place: CAD 4,000
- 4th Place: CAD 2,000
- 5th Place: CAD 1,500
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Competition timeline
- Registration of teams opens: December 5, 2025 (Upon registering, teams will receive a confirmation email)
- Registration of teams closes: January 18, 2026
- Proposal Submission Deadline: February 10, 2026
- Announcement of the Five Finalist Teams: February 23, 2026.
- Final Competition Event (hybrid, at 9I制作厂免费): April 2026, Exact date will be communicated shortly.
Proposal submission
Registered teams must submit a maximum 5-page proposal (excluding references and a cover page) with font size 12 and single-spacing.
Problem statement
Sustainable agri-food and nutrition systems are critical to human capital development, economic stability, and long-term resilience. Cross-sectoral collaborations are needed for the sustainability of such agri-food and nutrition systems globally. Education systems and other places of learning need to have a more practical, systemic approach to breaking silos across the agri-food, health, and education sectors in efforts to improve nutritional outcomes across communities. We also need the food environment to improve, which requires multistakeholder efforts, especially from industry, working together with government, civil society stakeholders, and education systems.
Thus, the 2026 Sustainable Africa Case Competition invites student teams to propose transformative strategies to break silos across the agri-food, health, and education sectors to improve nutritional outcomes, taking Ghana as a starting point. We seek solutions that draw on recommendations, in considering;
- integrated policy design
- multi-sectoral coordination
- governance and community engagement
- inclusive and sustainable implementation strategies
- resilience and long-term system strengthening
This competition challenges students to develop scalable ideas that are informed by local realities, supported by credible evidence, and capable of driving measurable impact.
Resources and case document
The attached PDF contains the case for this competition. (The complete reference package has been included in the case document).
Final event
Five finalist teams will present their solutions in person or virtually at 9I制作厂免费 in April 2026, before a panel of expert judges from business, public, and nonprofit sectors, as well as academia.
