AfriLabs during its virtual 2020 Annual Gathering that held from 12th-14th October, 2020 awarded 17 innovation hubs with 15,000€ each to implement startup support projects across Africa. An additional 3 hubs won grants of 2,000€ each to host virtual meetups on COVID-19 and the SDGs.
As an initiative of the AfriLabs Capacity Building Programme (ACBP) supported the AFD’s support through the Digital Africa seed fund, the winners were selected from a pool of over 60 applications from innovation hubs from every region in Africa. Some of the successful applications are collaborations between hubs in different countries and regions.
Ingenious City, Democratic Republic of Congo and a cross-regional collaboration effort from Roar Nigeria Hub, Nigeria and Centre d’Innovation de Lubumbashi (CINOLU) won for their projects on virtual incubation.
Under the women support category, Douar Tech, Morocco, Makerere Innovation and Incubation Centre, Uganda, Hive Colab, Uganda, Wennovation Hub, Nigeria and DoniLab, Mali came out as winners while Eldo Hub Kenya and Maio Business Centre, Cabo Verde and TechQuest STEM Academy Nigeria and Junub Open space collaboration projects were also successful.
Chepkemoi Magdaline, Executive Director, EldoHub said as she received the award on behalf of her hub that the Afrilabs Capacity Building award will go a long way to ensure women led businesses in Kenya and Cape Verde get support to incorporate technology in their business processes and hence increase productivity especially during this time of COVID-19.
“There is tremendous power when a group of people with similar interests come together to work toward the same objectives.” she continued.
For Investor & Mentor Networks Building and Matching category, Jacaranda Hub, Zambia regional collaboration project with GoDo Hub Nigeria and Ennovate Hub Tanzania came out top.
“The AfriLabs Capacity Building Award will amplify the impact of our venture building project for early stage startups and further improve their readiness to access investment. The support from AfriLabs will enable us to support more startups, provide business development services, offer seed capital to scale up their business and connect them to investment.” Francis Omorojie, Co-Founder, Ennovate Hub said at the award ceremony that held virtually.
ActivSpaces, Cameroun and Recycle Up! Ghana won 15,000 Euros each for their projects on innovative and practical methods of training start-ups within their network on financial management, communications and marketing.
Meanwhile, Clean Technology Hub Abuja, Nigeria, Habaka Hub, Madagascar and Tarkwa Entrepreneurship Development Hub, Ghana were awarded 2,000 Euros each to host virtual meetups on COVID-19 and the SDGs.
“We are excited at the opportunity to work with such great minds to expand/change the face of innovation in Africa. The quality of ideas that were selected for this edition of the capacity building awards are unique, innovative and have the capacity to make a significant and lasting positive impact in the African ecosystem.” Nanko Madu, Senior Programmes Manager, AfriLabs said.
Learn more about the AfriLabs Capacity Building Programme (ACBP) and the recent winners here.
Also, AfriLabs in partnership with Djembe Consultants, the award-winning Africa-focused communications consultancy, launched an Insights Report during the 2020 AfriLabs Annual Gathering. The report assesses the impact of COVID-19 on the continent’s young innovators and entrepreneurs and provides perspectives from industry experts as to how African decisionmakers from both the public and private sectors can accelerate support across the full innovation spectrum including education, inclusivity, investment, policy and research and development. Access report here.
Founded in 2011, AfriLabs builds a community around rapidly emerging tech hubs – innovation spaces that serve as meeting points and communities for developers, entrepreneurs, and investors.
AfriLabs is a network organization of 225 innovation centres across 47 African countries and is committed to supporting hubs to raise successful entrepreneurs that will create jobs and develop innovative solutions to African problems. AfriLabs believes that supporting the development of the African technology and innovation ecosystem enables Africa to participate in the global knowledge and innovation marketplace thereby stimulating economic growth. Visit www.AfriLabs.com to learn more about AfriLabs.
