# ECOWAS regional entrepreneurship initiatives > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/ecowas-regional-entrepreneurship-initiatives > Updated: 2026-09-29T01:22:01.000Z. Sources: 8. Developments: 2. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has initiated its second edition of the Startup Awards in Abuja, Nigeria. The program, which runs for 10 days, involves 60 selected startups chosen from over 6,000 applicants across the region. The competition focuses on sectors such as FinTech, HealthTech, AgriTech, EdTech, CleanTech, and Tourism, with the goal of driving digital transformation and regional integration. Total prize money for the competition includes $65,000 in seed funding, with $30,000 awarded to the winner, $20,000 to the first runner-up, and $15,000 to the second runner-up. The initiative also aims to facilitate up to $5 million in investment deals and includes plans to establish the ECOWAS Private Sector Development Academy to support entrepreneurs and policymakers. In conjunction with these efforts, ECOWAS officials are advocating for increased economic participation for women. During a masterclass in Accra, leaders emphasized the necessity of removing barriers such as limited access to finance and digital technologies to enable women to become active producers, exporters, and investors within global value chains. ## Timeline ### 2026-09-29: ECOWAS promotes regional growth through startup awards and women's trade initiatives ECOWAS is promoting regional growth through its 2nd Startup Awards and calling for improved trade access and financial resources for women entrepreneurs across West Africa. 6 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/ecowas-promotes-regional-growth-through-startup-awards-and-womens-trade-initiatives ### 2026-09-21: ECOWAS launches second Startup Awards in Abuja ECOWAS has launched its second Startup Awards in Abuja, featuring 60 regional startups competing for $65,000 in seed funding and aiming to facilitate $5 million in investment deals. 3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/ecowas-launches-second-startup-awards-in-abuja --- Cite as: ECOWAS regional entrepreneurship initiatives. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/ecowas-regional-entrepreneurship-initiatives