Programs/Events

AfriLabs helps tech hubs and their communities share knowledge, collaborate, achieve human resource and financial sustainability, and partner with the key stakeholders to build the African tech and innovation ecosystem by delivering the following programs:

Programmes

AfriLabs Capacity Building Programme (ACBP)

Over the years, AfriLabs has carried out research on African hub needs, capacity gaps and best practices. Based on these research, AfriLabs designs and runs a series of initiatives for tech hubs like the AfriLabs Hubs Learning Week. These initiatives have now been updated and expanded into the AfriLabs Capacity Building Programme (ACBP), 2m euro capacity building project, being implemented thanks to Agence Française de Développement (AFD)’s support through the Digital Africa seed fund.

Learn more about the programme at www.afrilabs-capacity.com.

Catalyst

The Catalyst Program is a cross-stakeholder initiative of AfriLabs in conjunction with (African Business Angels Network) ABAN that aims to strengthen entrepreneurs and startups, hubs and angel investors, while delivering impact results to institutional funders. Learn more here.

The Global EdTech Hub

The EdTech Hub is a collaboration between the Overseas Development Institute, Faculty of Education at the University of Cambridge, Results for Development, Open Development and Education, Brink, Jigsaw Consult, BRAC, AfriLabs, and eLearning Africa.

Funded by the UK Department for International Development, the World Bank and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, The EdTech Hub seeks to help improve education technology in developing countries. AfriLabs is a regional partner of The EdTech Hub. Learn more at www.edtechhub.org.

Rapid Analysis of Innovation Response (RAIR) to COVID-19 Pandemic

AfriLabs in partnership with the KTN Global Alliance are working on a rapid analysis of challenges, impact and innovation response to COVID-19 pandemic in Africa, with a focus on Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa. The aim of the analysis is to inform an intending support from the UK’s DFID and the KTN Global Alliance to innovation systems in Africa to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to provide lessons and best practices to strengthen the innovation response to future crises.

COVIDaction

COVIDaction, a partnership between DFID’s Frontier Technology Hub, Global Disability Innovation Hub (GDI Hub), UCL Institute of Healthcare Engineering will be working to build a technology and innovation pipeline to support action related to the COVID pandemic, with a focus on Africa. Learn more here.

Project Rollo

Project Rollo is a capacity building program dedicated to inspiring and supporting Small African enterprises in African countries facing challenges to survive after Covid-19 outbreak. It is composed of an intensive online bootcamp where business owners and their teams will be asked to develop and execute strategies in a competitive risk free environment with different market outlooks. This project is supported by UNDP and AU.

Events

AfriLabs Annual Gathering

The AfriLabs Annual Gathering provides a unique opportunity for hubs in the AfriLabs network and other stakeholders in the African tech ecosystem to convene, network, share knowledge around a common theme and build partnerships. Learn more about the Gathering at www.afrilabs-gathering.com.

Virtual Dialogue Series

These are online panel sessions where leaders of the technology and innovation ecosystem in Africa share their knowledge and experience with the community on how African hubs can strengthen their resilience and adapt to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hubs Learning Week

The AfriLabs Hubs Learning Week is a series of capacity building virtual workshops that empower innovation and hub managers and staff with requisite and formal incubation management training and skills needed to start, operate and expand hubs/innovation centres in Africa. This activity is carried out under the AfriLabs Capacity Building Programme (ACBP) supported by the AFD through the Digital Africa seed fund.

Ecosystem Insights

AfriLabs-Briter Bridges Innovation Ecosystem Report

In 2019, AfriLabs and Briter Bridges conducted a quantitative and qualitative study of a hundred hubs in Africa. The study gives insights into the role of tech hubs in the African Innovation/Startup Ecosystem. Read full report here.

AfriLabs Capacity Building Needs Assessment

A needs assessment was carried out to ascertain the specific needs of ESOs, entrepreneurs and investors in order to better target support and interventions on the AfriLabs Capacity Building Programme.

To be published on www.afrilabs-capacity.com in October, 2020.

AfriLabs and Djembe Consultants Insights Report on Building a Resilient Innovative Africa in a COVID-19 World

AfriLabs and Djembe Consultants developed a report on the future of African innovation amidst a backdrop of a global pandemic. The Report is themed ‘Building a Resilient Innovative Africa’ in line with the focus of the 5th AfriLabs Virtual Annual Gathering from October 12 to 14, 2020.
Read more about the report here.

To be published in October, 2020.

AfriLabs and Mozilla Roundtables with African Innovation Ecosystem Stakeholders

Mozilla and AfriLabs will be launching exploratory research in the form of round table discussions to better understand the ecosystem, explore and identify new product ideas that solve real-life issues. Read more about the initiative here.

Information from these roundtables are to be published in 2020.