The Nature-First
Innovation Lab
A 12-month accelerator supporting African nature-first enterprises with catalytic capital, transaction support, and investor engagement.
About NFIL
The Nature-First Innovation Lab (NFIL) is a specialised accelerator supporting African enterprises whose revenues are directly linked to positive biodiversity and ecosystem outcomes.
NFIL helps promising nature-first businesses grow into scalable, investment-ready enterprises that can attract mainstream financing and deliver long-term environmental and economic value.
It focuses on nature-based business models where primary revenue comes from nature-positive products, services and supply chains — not from carbon finance. It also aims to generate practical learning on what works in African nature finance markets, helping strengthen future investment approaches, partnerships and market confidence.
What enterprises get
01
CAPITAL
A flexible returnable and non-returnable grants to help promising businesses scale.
02
TRANSACTION SUPPORT
Covering financial structuring, governance, impact metrics, investor readiness and other enterprise-specific needs.
03
INVESTOR ENGAGEMENT
Structured investor engagement and capacity building to increase appetite and capability to underwrite nature-first deals.
The challenge
Ambition without investment
Across Africa, businesses working to protect and restore nature often struggle to access finance, even where commercial demand is strong. Revenues can take time to materialise, ecological outcomes are challenging to measure and price, and investors often lack comparable deal examples or confidence in the market.
First Cohort
Regenerative Supply Chains
NFIL's first cohort will support 6–8 African enterprises embedding regenerative practices into agricultural and natural resource supply chains across land, freshwater, and marine ecosystems.
For NFIL, regenerative models are those that improve soil, water, and biodiversity over time while delivering commercially viable returns.
Submit Your Expression of Interest
Eligibility criteria
To be eligible for the first NFIL cohort, your enterprise should meet the following criteria:
01
Based in Africa
Headquartered or primarily operating in Africa.
02
Nature-first
A nature-positive enterprise with a core revenue model which depends on protecting, restoring or sustainably managing ecosystems or biodiversity.
03
Regenerative supply chains
Operating in agroforestry, regenerative agriculture, sustainable wild harvest, nature-positive food or fibre value chains, and the broader blue economy, including freshwater and marine-based activities.
04
Post-feasibility
Have demonstrated proof-of-concept, are generating revenue, and are actively preparing to raise commercial investment.
05
Legal status
Registered legal private entity.
If you are a nature-positive enterprise looking to scale but your core revenue model is carbon credits, our sister accelerator programme, the Carbon Accelerator Programme for the Environment (CAPE), could be for you. Find out more here.
Partners
NFIL was launched by FSD Africa in partnership with Systemiq and the African Natural Capital Alliance (ANCA), as part of ongoing efforts to help build financial systems that work for nature and for Africa.
The programme is funded by UK International Development (FCDO), DEFRA, and NORAD, and delivered in collaboration with partners across Africa and internationally.
Get in touch
For enquiries — including questions about eligibility, the application process, or partnership opportunities — please contact the FSD Africa Secretariat at NFIL@fsdafrica.org