The Korea-Africa Foundation (KAF) is recruiting startups to participate in the “2026 Global Market Entry Program” (GMEP), a project it hosts, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups oversees, and the Korea Startup Agency (KISED) manages.

KAF has led the GMEP for the past three years, operating it as a locally focused accelerator program. Interested companies may apply between February 27 and March 31. In all, 15 tech companies will be selected to expand into Africa: seven from the climate field and eight from the health field, i.e., aging. For details, refer to the 2026 GMEP announcement on the K-Startup portal (KOR only).

The seven startups selected from the climate tech sector—in fields such as renewable energy, clean tech, and carbon tech—will participate in domestic and international programs focusing on advancing into South Africa (Johannesburg and Cape Town) and Kenya (Nairobi). The local programs will be conducted in collaboration with “Impact Hub Nairobi,” a global accelerator based in Kenya’s capital city.

The eight tech startups selected from aging-related sectors (healthcare, biotech, beautytech, etc.) will participate in domestic and international programs focusing on Egypt (Cairo) and Morocco (Casablanca), and the program will be operated in collaboration with the global accelerator “Plug and Play Cairo.”

The companies chosen will go through a pre-acceleration phase in Korea, including startup diagnosis, local business model (BM) suitability assessment, and investor relations (IR) capacity building training. They will then participate in an intensive four-week accelerator program in Africa. This program focuses on practical market entry support, including one-on-one business matching, meetings with government and relevant organizations, investor networking, IR demo days, and linkages to proof-of-concept (PoC) opportunities.

The KAF has operated startup support programs in South Africa, Egypt, Kenya, Tunisia and other African countries to help Korean startups gain a stable foothold on the continent. Since 2019, it has helped participating companies achieve tangible results such as establishing local subsidiaries, realizing exports, signing partnership agreements, and advancing joint R&D initiatives. An agency under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), the KAF leverages MOFA's Korea-Africa diplomatic network to facilitate networking with local governments and key institutions.

Since being established in 2018 by the Korean National Assembly, the KAF has noted the high growth potential in promising industrial fields in Africa due to rapid urbanization, demographic changes, and increasing demand to respond to the climate crisis. Through the 2026 GMEP, it plans to actively support domestic startups to create tangible business results in the African market and establish a foundation for long-term cooperation.

Startups wishing to participate in the project can apply through a future announcement, and further details can be found on the Korea-Africa Foundation website (KOR, ENG, FRA).

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KAF press release translated by AI, edited by David Kendall