Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST) is seeking South African techies and entrepreneurs to join its 2017 cohort of trainees set to be help in Accra, Ghana.

The year-long program will start in August 2017 and will see them receive funding, exposure to new and diverse cultures and chance to make them globally competitive. The seed-funding of USD $50,000 – $100,000 will be given by the Meltwater Foundation which runs MEST.

MEST will also be recruiting from Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya and Cote D’ivoire in a move to create a pan-African network and curate a rich pool of talent and ideas. MEST aims to increase the rate of entrepreneurship adoption amongst African youth, drive more external investment to the continent, and in 2018 launch an Incubator in Johannesburg or Cape Town for MEST-graduated South African entrepreneurs to build a base and work on home soil.

All interested and eligible South Africans must:
– Have deep passion to build a globally successful software company
– Have several years entrepreneurial or corporate work experience
– Be able to commit spending a year in Accra, Ghana participating in the MEST training program starting August 2017

Think you’re a perfect fit for MEST or know someone who is? Start the application process here or contact [email protected]. Please note that the deadline for application in South Africa is March 10th.

Founded in Accra, Ghana in 2008, MEST is the brainchild of our CEO Jorn Lyseggen, who believes that talented people are everywhere, and with the right nurturing, support, and guidance, the next Facebook or Google can come from anywhere in the world. We have set out to prove that a new generation of young, ambitious entrepreneurs can come from Africa.

MEST entrepreneurs have developed solutions addressing local and global markets, received outside follow-on funding from global investors, and have gained admittance to top accelerator programs such as Y-Combinator, 500 Startups and TechStars.

MEST itself is regarded as “one of the largest private investments in Ghanaian economic development” and also recently recognized as Fast Company’s Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in Africa. General information about the MEST admission process can be found here.