South Africans have under three days left to apply for MEST 2019

South African applicants looking to join MEST Africa’s one-year entrepreneurial training programme have until Thursday (15 February) to apply.

The graduate-level programme — which will kick off in August this year in Accra, Ghana — will cover business and software development.

Training also includes extensive hands-on project work and the opportunity to be mentored by successful entrepreneurs, CEOs and other executives from Silicon Valley and Europe.

As part of the programme, participants are provided with free housing and a monthly-stipend for the duration of the programme.

The programme culminates in a final pitch where selected participants stand a chance to receive seed investment and grow a tech business as part of the pan-African network of MEST incubators in Lagos, Accra, Nairobi and Cape Town.

The objective of the programme is to build globally successful software companies and join the pan-African network of MEST incubators to further grow their businesses.

How to apply

In order to be considered for the programme, applicants must hold a degree and be able to prove previous corporate and or entrepreneurial experience.

To submit their applications, applicants first take the ‘Discover MEST Test‘, a set of 10 multiple choice questions which aim to teach applicants about the organisation and to determine if the programme is an appropriate fit.

Thereafter, applicants can proceed to submit their application in a three-step process that includes filling out an application form, taking an aptitude test and sitting for an in-person interview in South Africa.

MEST’s programme aims to train, mentor and invest in African tech entrepreneurs

The first cohort of South African EITs graduated in August last year. Thereafter, in November the organisation launched an incubator space in Cape Town.

Read more: New MEST Cape Town Incubator offers African launchpad for SA entrepreneurs
Read more: MEST launches incubator spaces in Lagos, Cape Town

In a press release, MEST managing director Aaron Fu said the organisation was excited to continue its commitment to the South African market with the launch of the incubator and the 2018 recruitment drive.

“Cape Town is certainly home to an enormous amount of ambitious tech talent with massive potential, and we are working towards delivering access to opportunities for startups and entrepreneurs from across the region,” said Fu.

“Through our pan-African training programme, we want to enable the collaboration and interaction and thus make trans-Africa startups happen more,” he added.

MEST currently also recruits EITs from Ghana, Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Kenya.

Featured image: MEST Africa via Twitter