The University of Westminster has launched a new African Entrepreneurship Competition in partnership with the University of Ghana and the University of Ilorin, bringing together students from across three countries to collaborate on innovative solutions to some of Africa’s most pressing challenges.
Funded by TLG Capital, an Africa-focused investment firm co-founded by University of Westminster alumnus Zain Latif, the competition is designed to equip students with the skills, networks and experience needed to drive sustainable change through entrepreneurship.
The initiative brings together students from all three partner institutions to form diverse, cross-cultural teams. Each team will consist of five or six students, including representatives from each university, who will work collaboratively to research, design and pitch viable, finance-focused ventures. These ventures will respond directly to real-world challenges, with a strong emphasis on social impact and long-term sustainability.
Throughout the programme, students will explore a wide range of development issues in Africa, including poverty alleviation, financial inclusion, access to healthcare, sanitation and sustainable agriculture. A key feature of the competition is its focus on student-led research, with participants encouraged to identify and define the challenges themselves, ensuring that their ideas are grounded in local realities and community needs.
All proposed solutions must align with at least one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), reinforcing the competition’s commitment to responsible innovation and global development priorities.
To support their journey, students will take part in a series of structured workshops covering key areas such as team building and idea generation, business model development, marketing and branding, and pitching and presentation skills. In addition, each team will be supported by experienced mentors, providing valuable guidance and industry insight throughout the process.
University of Ghana team leads
The competition will culminate in a hybrid final in November, where five shortlisted teams will present their ventures to a panel of judges.
The online launch event marked the beginning of what is expected to become a flagship international collaboration. At its core, the African Entrepreneurship Competition aims to create meaningful and lasting impact across the continent by empowering young people to become problem-solvers and change-makers in their own communities. By fostering collaboration between students in the UK, Ghana and Nigeria, the programme encourages the exchange of knowledge, perspectives and ideas, helping to build globally minded graduates with a deep understanding of local challenges.
The competition also plays an important role in strengthening partnerships between higher education institutions and the private sector. Through the support of TLG Capital, students gain exposure to real-world investment perspectives, helping to bridge the gap between academic learning and practical application.
Providing opportunities to gain real life experiences is key to the University’s Zone29 offering, which is Westminster’s new home for careers and enterprise and is a resource available to all students.
Zain Latif, who graduated from Westminster Business School in 2002, has a long-standing commitment to supporting students at the University. This commitment builds on a wider legacy of support from the Latif family, including the establishment of the Latif Family Bursary by his brother, Rehan Latif, Global Head of Credit at Morgan Stanley. This new competition builds on that legacy, extending opportunities to students across Africa and creating a platform for innovation, collaboration and impact at scale.
Speaking about the initiative, Zain Latif said: “The best businesses, and the businesses that we invest in, often apply an innovative approach to solving simple, everyday problems. In the future, many young people are going to have to invent their own jobs. Nearly 90% of the world’s population growth over the next few decades will be in Africa, and the opportunity to build is enormous. The goal of the Africa Student Entrepreneur Challenge is for us at TLG to encourage students to think ambitiously about their own ideas for solving pressing problems on the continent, and to give them a platform to turn those ideas into viable businesses.”
Dr Irene Brew-Riverson, Principal Lecturer in Finance and Accounting, added: “We are thrilled to see how over one hundred students from the University of Westminster, the University of Ghana and the University of Ilorin have come together to work in cross cultural teams to propose solutions to some of the challenges we face on the African Continent. The fact that young people are embracing this opportunity, speaks to a certain sense of responsibility that I believe is key to improving the communities we belong to and society as a whole. We are very grateful to TLG Capital for sponsoring the competition and look forward to the impact and ripple effect of this excellent initiative.”
Nancy Wellman, Development Officer at University of Westminster, said: “We are incredibly grateful to TLG Capital for their generous support of the Africa Entrepreneurship Competition. Partnerships and philanthropic investments like this play a vital role in creating opportunities that would not otherwise be possible, empowering students to develop the skills, confidence and networks needed to become the next generation of entrepreneurs and changemakers. By bringing together talented students from the UK, Ghana and Nigeria, the Challenge will encourage innovative thinking and cross-cultural collaboration while supporting solutions to real-world challenges across sectors including agriculture, water, power and energy, finance and banking, technology, tourism, the creative economy and consumer products. We are excited to see the ideas that emerge and the long-term impact these students will create across Africa and beyond.”
This collaboration directly contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth and 17: Partnerships for the Goals. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.
For opportunities to support the University of Westminster contact the Development Team.
