Harmony Food & Health Security, Employability and Entrepreneurship Challenge
Summary
The 2026 Harmony Food & Health Security, Employability & Entrepreneurship Enactus Challenge empowers university students to design and implement sustainable social enterprises that address food insecurity, health security, unemployment, and youth empowerment within underserved communities. The challenge encourages students to build innovative, market-driven solutions that improve access to nutritious food, strengthen community health outcomes, and create sustainable employment opportunities through entrepreneurship.
Enactus UKZN Students Implementing Sack Farming Project
Overview
The Harmony Food & Health Security, Employability & Entrepreneurship Enactus Challenge 2026 is a National Special Competition focused on empowering student social entrepreneurs to respond to South Africa's growing challenges of unemployment, food insecurity, and limited economic opportunities.
South Africa continues to face high unemployment levels, particularly among young people and underserved communities. While the country produces sufficient food overall, many households still struggle to access nutritious meals due to poverty, unemployment, and rising living costs.
Through this challenge, Harmony Gold Mining Company Limited and Enactus South Africa encourage university students to develop entrepreneurial solutions that improve food and health security while creating meaningful and sustainable economic opportunities. Participating teams will research real community challenges, develop business-driven interventions, launch Minimum Viable Products (MVPs), and scale their solutions into sustainable enterprises capable of long-term impact.
The programme places strong emphasis on Food & Health Security, Youth Employability, Entrepreneurship Development, Sustainable Job Creation, Community Resilience, and Innovation and Social Impact.
Briefing Recording & Submission Resources
Thank you to all teams that attended the Harmony Food & Health Security, Employability & Entrepreneurship Enactus Challenge 2026 briefing session.
Resources
Reminder
Entries close on Friday, 15 May 2026 at 17:00.
Eligibility Requirements
Participation is open to Enactus South Africa university teams developing projects or enterprises aligned with:
- Food Security
- Health Security
- Employability
- Entrepreneurship
- Sustainable Community Development
Solutions may be new initiatives or expansions of existing projects, provided they demonstrate strong scalability and sustainability potential. By entering the challenge, teams commit to full participation in all required reporting, communication, and adjudication activities.
Funding & Awards
Semi-Finalist Funding Top 10 Semi-Finalists receive R12,000 Project Grant Funding
Prizes
| Position | Prize |
|---|---|
| 1st Place & Winner | R15,000 Cash Award & Trophy |
| 2nd Place | R10,000 Cash Award & Trophy |
| 3rd Place | R5,000 Cash Award & Trophy |
Commitment Clause
Acceptance of programme funding constitutes a contractual obligation. Teams must comply with all programme requirements, reporting standards, and timelines. Failure to meet these obligations may result in withdrawal of funding and disqualification from future Enactus opportunities.