Kubtatana Magazine -Issue 2

AFR I LABS

KUBATANA MAGAZINE | OCTOBER 2022

TABLE OF CONTENTS

What AfCFTA Is Offering African Innovators And Entrepreneurs Supporting Deep-Tech Start-Ups In Africa: Intel And AfriLabs

Foreword 08

26 24

Startups On A Mission: GoGo Play, South Sudan

Startups On A Mission: Bena Care, LTD, Kenya Meet AfriLabs New Board Chair, Moetaz Helmy The AfriLabs Capacity Building Programme’s Impact In Tanzania In Search Of Equity: Exploring Africa’s Gender Gap In Startup Finance Startups On A Mission: F.R.E.S.H.I.A., Mali

Leading AfriLabs In Develop- ing Africa’s Innovation Economy Through Collabo- rations And Partnerships Anna Ekeledo | Executive Director

Communities, Not Bubbles: Building Sustainable Communities To Drive Impact

Influencing National And Pan-African Policies To Create An Enabling Environment For Entrepreneurs And Innovators Across Africa Say Cheese!! Scenes From Some Of AfriLabs Capacity Building Programme There Was Nothing Special

Humans of AfriLabs: Damilola Obidairo 40

Board 14

AfriLabs

Chief Operating Officer 20 Humans of AfriLabs: Anne Lawi 22 AfriLabs Management Team 18

Startups On A Mission: Peleza International Limited, Kenya

From The Office Of The AfriLabs

Celebrating Africa’s Trade Genius And Mapping The Future Of Intra-African Trade

About Raising $5 Billion 54

Humans of AfriLabs: George Antwi-Boasiako 34

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KUBATANA MAGAZINE | OCTOBER 2022

Executive Director Anna Ekeledo Editor in Chief Moetaz Helmy Managing Editors Ajuma Abah and Joshua Omena Editors Sheba Kereere Daniel Ngongang

Art Director & Designer Henry Teage, Jr Design Support Attah Joshua and Victor Ibim

Our Values UBUNTU

We believe in shared experience and collaboration. Our work is made possible and better through the strength of our community and partners, and our combined desire to see a thriving innovation economy in Africa driven by the power of our community. Our impact is only felt because it feeds into the impact of those we work with. We participate We relentlessly try and test solutions in a quest to serve our ecosystem better. Many times we succeed, but some- times we fail. When we fail, we learn and move forward with an evidence base that makes us better. WE ARE PAN AFRICAN We are dedicated to the dignity of the people of Africa on the African continent and in the diaspora. Our primary interest is in the prosperity of our people. Our reach is far and wide. We are working towards an Africa whose lead- ership, resources and resilience work towards a flourish- ing continent and economically empowered citizens. OUR HUBS COME FIRST where we can make a significant contribution. WE EXPERIMENT AND WE ARE CURIOUS If it does not work for our community we won’t do it. Our community is at the heart of everything we do. The way we work, the people and organisations we interact with and the programmes we design are all primarily to strengthen the communities in our hubs. WE DO THE RIGHT THING We are committed to achieving our mission by always do- ing the right thing. We believe that by infusing profession- alism, excellence, transparency and integrity into all our offerings, we ensure high-quality products and services, attract the right talent and impact society with the right organisations. EVERYONE IS WELCOME We believe that great ideas can come from anywhere. We pride ourselves in being a neutral space that serves as a nexus point for all technology, innovation, and entrepre- neurship ecosystem members like governments, develop- ment agencies, academic institutions, entrepreneurs, and investors to interact directly with hubs. WE DRIVE IMPACT While putting our hubs first and embracing an open innovation culture, we work to ensure that our work is measurable and drives change at scale. If we impact our hubs positively, then they impact their innovators positively and these innovators impact their communities. Our work only means as much as the positive change it drives. WE ARE A COMMUNITY We are a well curated membership organisation connect- ed by our unflinching vision for economically and socially empowered communities and countries.

Photography Steve Chuks

Writers/Contributors

Ajibola Odukoya Nekesa Were Nanko Madu Kenechukwu Chukwu Rahel Chukwu Jennifer Okeke-Ojiudu Rana Emara Pase Temitope Serge Ntamack Brian Dzidefo AfriLabs AU Fellowship Team Strathmore University

Honoris United Universities Aisha Bubah Fadilah Tchoumba Jessica Hope Sylvia Mwangi Franciscah Nzanga Lydia Ezenwa Philip Adebayo Funmilayo Caulcrick TechCabal Briter Bridges

Denaya Dennis 56

Examining Collaborations Between North And Sub- Saharan African Innovation Communities

Humans of AfriLabs:

The Place Of Academia In Supporting Innovation In Africa Humans of AfriLabs: Eric Mwangi Kariuki Language As A Catalyst For Growing Communities The State Of The Innovation Policy Environment In Nigeria Humans Of AfriLabs: Benson Mutahi Githaiga

COVID-19: An Opportunity For Development Or Not?

86 86 90 92 92 96

Humans of AfriLabs: Okuazun Gideon Jayeola 72

AfriLabs Academy: Revolutionising Innovation Support In Africa Through E-Learning Why Startups Founded To Help Run The Infrastruc- ture Of Fintech In Africa Will See Huge Success

The Relevance Of Media In Growing A Thriving Innova- tion Economy In Africa Improving Innovation Support Under The Afri-Plastics Challenge Programme

Female-Founded Startup Funding And Support In Africa

Humans of AfriLabs: Beran Dondeh Gillen 64

Startups On A Mission: Innkeeper, Nigeria

Humans of AfriLabs: Lewat Mbiagna Gilles 80

Humans Of AfriLabs: Moussa Hubert Ouologuem

68 66

The Art Of Planning A Pan-African Event

Are We Losing Our Minds? The Startup Community And Stress

Innovation In The Public Sector: The African Union Commission

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KUBATANA MAGAZINE | OCTOBER 2022

EMPOWERING THE INNOVATION ECONOMY IN AFRICA THROUGH COMMUNITY AND COLLABORATION. FOREWORD

At the 2021 AfriLabs Annual Gathering in Abuja, Nigeria, we

This issue of the Kubatana Magazine by AfriLabs explores our efforts as a community and ecosystem in driving collaboration for more impact. The articles, reports, opinions, and interviews here are radical testimonials and maybe prophecies of what will be accomplished if we enable innovation together. As we march into a future of more growth and impact, we must do our part to make it happen today. I hope you enjoy and learn from all we have to say in this edition of Kubatana. I would like to congratulate the AfriLabs team that worked hard to put these stories together. And to you, happy reading!

had representatives from more than thirty (30) African countries. And as I sat during the gala night hosted by the Nigerian Government, I was struck by how diverse our continent is. North, south, east, central, and west converging with one goal - to build an innovation economy that will improve the lives of every African. Everyone is welcome at AfriLabs; anyone who believes startups and ventures can leverage innovation and technology to address our unique and collective challenges in sustainable and sometimes disruptive ways. This cannot be achieved if we all do not join hands, resources, and hearts.

Moetaz Moetaz Helmy Board Chair, AfriLabs

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KUBATANA MAGAZINE | OCTOBER 2022

THE AFRICAN INNOVATION ECONOMY HAS THE POTENTIAL TO REVOLUTIONISE ENTIRE INDUSTRIES, IMPROVE LIVES AND CONTRIBUTE TO AFRICA’S GDP —ANNA EKELEDO

Second, invest in the innovation economy. Startups and innovation hubs need targeted investment and support. Also, African governments should fulfil their commitment to funding research and development, and digital skills-focused human capital development through schools. Finally, collaborate! We need African governments and other stakeholders to work together to achieve the Africa we want, through the innovation economy. What roles can collaborations between stakeholders play in improving the prospect of a thriving innovation economy? Most of the progress we’ve achieved so far has been through collaborations. For example, the most progressive policy moves by the governments such as the Tunisian, Senegal and soon-to-be Nigerian Startup Acts whereby the governments are working with the startup ecosystem. The increase in investment in African startups has also largely been driven by investors coming together to invest in startups. Development agencies and governments have also set up funds to support innovators, startups and innovation hubs. However, most of these have been in silos, or at most bilateral collaborations. Catalytic Africa, an initiative built by AfriLabs and African Business Angels Network (ABAN), to increase investment in African startups demonstrates stakeholder collaboration. Catalytic Africa brings together startups, innovation hubs and angel investors on a platform while inviting governments and institutional investors to set up funds as part of the Catalytic pool of funds. So far, Catalytic Africa has worked with the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and has contributed to the first pool of funds as well as investors networks across Nigeria, Cameroon,

Botswana, Zambia, Tunisia, and Senegal to co-invest in startups. We invite more private, institutional and government investors to work with us. Finally, we need to work together to build capacity at all levels. As a result of our programmes, governments, multilaterals, and development organisations have played an important role in collaborating with innovation hubs and strong Pan- African organisations like AfriLabs. This builds the capacity of youth and innovation enablers on the continent, strengthening our institutions, industries and enhancing climate resilience. These AfriLabs projects include the AfriLabs Capacity Building Programme, with the first of its kind university- certified curriculum for African startups. It is supported by AFD in collaboration with Strathmore University, the African Union Fellowship Programme supported by GIZ, Climate focused programmes with the Egyptian government, United Nations agencies and the Global Center on Adaptation. There’s work to be done on the continent to tap into and enjoy the benefits of the innovation economy, we call on more partners to collectively achieve our goals. We can do so much more when we work together.

LEADING AFRILABS IN DEVELOP- ING AFRICA’S INNOVATION ECON- OMY THROUGH COLLABORATIONS AND PARTNERSHIPS

BY ANNA EKELEDO EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AFRILABS

In a broad stroke, what potential does the African Innovation Economy have? The African Innovation Economy has the potential to revolutionise entire industries, improve lives and contribute to Africa’s GDP. You can see this with what’s happening with fintech and how the sector is challenging the traditional banking model and moving millions of Africans from not having bank accounts into financial freedom. It also reflects in the sharp rise of how health tech, logistics tech, edtech, e-commerce and e-government solutions have changed how we carry out business and access services.

What can we do better to tap into the potential of the innovation economy on the continent? First, create enabling policy and regulatory environments for innovation and entrepreneurship to thrive. It can be achieved by the government setting the right policies that incentivise startups and innovation-enabling actors - followed by deliberate implementation. AfriLabs has rolled out our African Policy Pathways that further break down the policy categories and how governments can create the right environment to boost the economy.

AFRICAN GOVERNMENTS SHOULD FULFILL THEIR COMMITMENT TO FUNDING RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, AND DIGITAL SKILLS- FOCUSED HUMAN CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT THROUGH SCHOOLS.

—ANNA EKELEDO

KUBATANA MAGAZINE | OCTOBER 2022

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SHOWCASE: AFRILABS BOARD

My vision for the African Innovation Ecosystem as a pioneer in the innovation ecosystem in North Africa, is to get AfriLabs to the next level where the network can be the strongest, and one of the best organized networks for innovators and entrepreneurs across the continent. Our hope is that through the AfriLabs network we would support the African Innovation Ecosystem, innovators, entrepreneurs and small businesses across the continent. We would My vision is a catalyzation and residence of new age problem solving mindset, talent and skills development. An existence of successfully sustainable small, medium companies that create exponential new job opportunities for its Pan- African citizens. An increased number of M&A and more former and current founders investing into high growth companies

accomplish this through fundraising, strategic thinking and planning, and the implementation of our activities to empower and strengthen players both within and outside our network. We would continue to advocate for a unified network by fostering collaborations between North Africa and the rest of the continent, ultimately resulting in the creation of a supportive network on which we can all rely for growth and innovation to thrive across board. on the continent. Keep the money circulating and growing within. This ecosystem will be the reason for having one African Market. Finally have direct flights :) It will be the well-spring for actualized, eased cross border trade and movement because everyone will need each other for the ecosystem to work. Skills, talent and goods movement will be seamless.

I look forward to our African Innovation

our people and then from Africa, to the world!

Ecosystem collaborating in order to solve the difficult and important problems we face in common. Indeed we already have many of the solutions in the form of indigenous knowledge from our diverse cultures, as well as the right people with the ability in the continent. It is time to leverage our available resources, and time for conversion. First for

MOETAZ HELMY

KUDZAI M. MUBAIWA Board Treasurer Founder of iZone Hub, Zimbabwe

AfriLabs Board Chair Co-founder, KMT House

My vision for the African Innovation Ecosystem is to have our continent positioned as a market that revolutionizes the adoption of technology and innovation for the development of our countries. Africa remains a continent with strong growth, and the potential it offers, both financially and through its social and community impact,

remains wide. We must take advantage of this to build more inclusive economies. And this is done through the consultation and union of the various key players who work for the development of our ecosystems and our startups, hence the importance of the place and the mission of AfriLabs.

ELODIE NONGA KENLA Francophone Representative Founder of WeTech, Cameroon

LINDA KWAMBOKA

Board Secretary Entrepreneur in-residence at Strathmore University and Manager at iBizAfrica, Kenya

KUBATANA MAGAZINE | OCTOBER 2022

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SHOWCASE: AFRILABS BOARD

My hope is to see a truly connected Africa, built on technology made by Africans to solve African problems. It is by building connections and having conversations that traverse national borders that we will unlock our emergent properties and create lasting value as a young continent. To achieve this vision, we must unlock our talent and aggressively train and up-skill the youth so as to claim our share of My Vision for the African Innovation Ecosystem is to become a catalyst to the growth of Africa, by providing the skills, technologies, companies and investments that will build prosperous African communities. I see an Ecosystem that will educate the next

the ever-growing digital economy. Africa is poised for growth, it has been for a while, it is time that we take agency and take action.

For the African innovation ecosystem to experience its full potential, all actors and stakeholders, in and beyond AfriLabs have to be actively involved and leverage innovation in all aspects of our day to day life, from gender issues to climate change, education, finance, politics, technology, economy and entrepreneurship. As innovators, let’s make Africa one of the top frontiers for innovation,

global growth through empowerment, creativity and technology. I am very excited to take on this new challenge as a Board Member of AfriLabs.

TAKUNDA CHINGONZO

STEVE TCHOUMBA Board Member Executive Director of ActivSpaces, Cameroon

Board Member Founder, Tech Village Innovation Hub, Zimbabwe

generation of Africa to sustained development. I see prosperity by the strength of our community, Where the North, South, East, West and Central are all aligned to building a strong Africa. #OneAfrica #AfCFTA #WeMove

DANIEL CHINAGOZI

Board Member Founder and CEO of Innovation Growth Hub, Nigeria

KUBATANA MAGAZINE | OCTOBER 2022

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SHOWCASE: MANAGEMENT TEAM

ANNA EKELEDO Executive Director

AJIBOLA ODUKOYA Chief Operating Officer

NANKO MADU Director of Programmes

AJUMA MARY ABAH PR & Communications Manager

KENECHUKWU CHUKWU Member Services Manager

WILSON WOKO NNANYERE Finance Manager

NEKESA WERE Director of Strategy

RAHEL CHUKWU Operations, HR and Francophone Manager

JENNIFER OKEKE-OJIUDU Ecosystem Events Manager

JOSHUA OMENA AJOKPAUWU Ecosystem Creative Manager

FELISTA AKU Partnerships Manager

TESSY OMONE OKOLO Senior Executive Officer to the Executive Director

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Being the largest Pan African organisation outside of the African Union, AfriLabs takes relationship management extremely important, such that 3 departments – the Member Services, Communications and Partnerships Departments - are saddled with the responsibility of managing the diversity of our stakeholders. The Secretariat, saddled with project management and monitoring among other tasks, has staff from Kenya, Egypt, Nigeria, Cameroon and Uganda who work with stakeholders across 52 African countries towards enabling a thriving innovation economy on the continent. My vision for the Secretariat is to work smarter than harder, automating core and recurring activities to allow more room for strategic and design thinking for the management team. What has the AfriLabs secretariat’s leadership done so far to drive the team to achieve the AfriLabs vision? Whilst AfriLabs has, over the years, served as a convening body bringing together all the critical stakeholders of the African Innovation and technology ecosystem to carry out various projects, events, and interventions targeted at

supporting startups and developing the ecosystem at large, it has done this manually and in silos which have proven difficult to keep up with the speed of progress in the ever-evolving ecosystem. AfriLabs leadership is working towards ensuring that we continue to work with a diverse team; we also intend to digitize the operations of the Secretariat. Hence, through the creation of the AfriLabs AfriConnect.net platform, we intend to digitise AfriLabs operations to provide a more seamless approach to engaging and managing its stakeholders as well as providing a vibrant open platform for stakeholder collaboration. The AfriConnect.net platform is strategically positioned as an organic self-sustained single window into the African technology, innovation and startup policy ecosystem.

FROM THE OFFICE OF THE AFRILABS CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER BY AJIBOLA ODUKOYA, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, AFRILABS

BEING THE LARGEST PAN AFRICAN ORGANISATION OUTSIDE OF THE AFRICAN UNION, WE TAKE RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT EXTREMELY IMPORTANT AT AFRILABS

Tell us about your background and experience before AfriLabs

My experience has been fantastic. I had a culture shock when I joined. The organisation is run by young people, has a gender diversity of 75% pro- women and has an average workforce age of 30. AfriLabs is a testament that the youth and women of Africa can and will continue to do great things on the global stage. With over 370+ Member Hubs in 229 cities and over a million startups in Africa, overseeing the day-to-day operations at AfriLabs secretariat is no easy task. The leadership qualities of the Executive Director, Anna Ekeledo who leads the Secretariat and the 12 Heads of Departments must be mentioned; they are self-motivated and possess a high level of accountability in leading these organs. This allows me the freedom to focus on transformational initiatives and implement our 10-year strategy roadmap.

I have served as a Global Jury Member, UN Capital Development Fund Agritech Challenge; Head of Business Management and Project Management Office, Nigeria Pension Commission & Pension Fund Operators Association of Nigeria Data Recapture Exercise; Head of Technology and Head of Strategic Alliances, National eGovernment Strategies Limited and National eAuthentication Limited; and I was on the Winning team of the UK National Apprentice Challenge; and a member of the ID4Africa movement, a thought leader in National Identification and Authentication in Africa among others. What has been your experience at AfriLabs so far, overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Secretariat and external relationships with partners?

PICTURED: AfriLabs secretariat team in Abuja, Nigeria

HUMANS OF KUBATANA MAGAZINE | OCTOBER 2022

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HUMANS OF

WHY DOES YOUR HUB EXIST? Pangea’s mission is to solve Africa’s biggest challenges by connecting the different players to identify innovations, unlock investments and accelerate growth for African-owned businesses. Pangea Trust empowers entrepreneurs with access to competence, networks and capital to continue growing their reach and footprint, even as Pangea establishes itself on the continent as the go-to business accelerator and investment platform. Our objective is to provide knowledge on business development and entrepreneurship, therefore, increasing access to opportunities that inspire and stimulate innovation and entrepreneurship across Africa. HOW IS YOUR HUB ACHIEVING ITS GOAL? Pangea, in its role as the link between ideas, competence and knowledge, as well as investment resources, collaborates, and creates an environment for all attendant parties to benefit from the available resources. Pangea has worked with partners to map out diaspora investment opportunities for Kenya, Ethiopia, and Somalia among other partners. Pangea also created the Pangea Connect platform which is an online platform for investors to pool their funds together in small ticket sizes of at least $100. Pangea Connect offers reliability, speed, the safety of funds, low cost and ease of use; and presents

an online alternative for crowd-funding and investments to leverage available options. WHAT ROLE HAS AFRILABS PLAYED IN YOUR HUB’S JOURNEY? Pangea has participated in events that AfriLabs has organised, like the AfriLabs Hubs Learning Week. We have tapped into its vast network of stakeholders including startups, investors, corporates, regulatory and policy agencies; and research and development support organisations through various stakeholders’ sessions. AfriLabs and Pangea have also been able to collaborate and partner through various projects which have been of benefit to the hub. AfriLabs has provided Pangea with pan-African visibility as a support area through our strategic partnership.

AFRILABS ANNE LAWI MANAGING DIRECTOR & CEO PANGEA TRUST KENYA

AFRILABS

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Tell us about your background and experience before becoming AfriLabs Board Chair? I started my entrepreneurial journey and projects in Egypt. I led 130 students at the French University in Egypt to work on 13 different projects across the country, winning the Enactus National Cup three times in a row from 2007 to 2009, and the Enactus World Cup in 2009 in Berlin and in 2010 in Los Angeles. Since 2010, I have co-founded four different hubs. Currently, I lead the Diaspora Meta Lab that supports VR/ XR technology for African and Middle Eastern Diaspora in Europe. I also lead the liaison between the EU and Africa in a HUbiquitous project funded by the EU, which aims to support building IoT Infrastructure in 25 African Hubs across the continent. How does it feel to be AfriLabs Board Chair? What does it mean to you? Being the Board Chair is one of my favourite positions. I first encountered AfriLabs during the 2016 Annual Gathering in Ghana. We then hosted the same event in Egypt the following year, and I was elected in 2019 as Board Secretary. Today, leading the AfriLabs network and foundation is a great honour and experience. It allows me to see the full potential of the ecosystem, co-create more opportunities with our board members and community, deal with regional and critical stakeholders, and try to solve common ecosystem challenges. What are your ambitions for the AfriLabs community and secretariat? The AfriLabs vision has been developed, and co-created by the member hubs and the Board. We want to create a thriving innovation economy in Africa through the power of our community. Our secretariat needs to be strengthened, our community needs to be invested in, our operations decentralised, our capacity-building programs need to be enhanced, and our matching fund needs to be increased. We will also need to find innovative ways to raise funds, support regional networks, develop entrepreneurial and innovative clusters, and create bridges with the African diaspora in Europe and America.

What has been your experience so far as AfriLabs Board Chair? Any notable challenges, lessons, milestones etc? It’s the Board’s responsibility that the entity moves in the right direction and respects the general strategy and governance set by the General Assembly. Running non-private entities like AfriLabs has unique challenges. It requires more effort from all of us to create innovative ways to be agile, faster, efficient, and result-oriented like a startup.

MEET AFRILABS NEW BOARD CHAIR MOETAZ

THE AFRILABS VISION HAS BEEN DEVELOPED AND CO-CREATED BY THE MEMBER HUBS AND THE BOARD. WE WANT TO CREATE A THRIVING INNOVATION ECONOMY IN AFRICA THROUGH THE POWER OF OUR COMMUNITY.

HELMY AN INTERVIEW WITH MOETAZ HELMY, CHAIR, AFRILABS

start-ups on a mission AFR I LABS

KUBATANA MAGAZINE | OCTOBER 2022

WHAT PROBLEM IS YOUR STARTUP TRYING TO SOLVE? Bena Care is tackling the economic and emotional effects of long-term hospital stays for patients with chronic illnesses and their families. WHAT CHALLENGES ARE YOU FACING IN ACCOMPLISHING THAT TASK? We have faced challenges that limit accelerated growth of Bena Care. These include the lack of medical insurance advantage plans to drive adoption of home-based care, as well as the lack of value added services (like mobile radiology, home medication delivery etc) to support the patients at home. WHAT ROLE HAS THE HUB PLAYED IN INFLUENCING YOUR STARTUP? It has provided a conducive

ecosystem for growth by providing the important building blocks for Bena Care; from investor readiness program to introducing us to important networks to lay our foundation in preparation for scale. What milestones have you accomplished so far? Bena Care has served 4,000 patients since inception and saved them USD13.6M in healthcare costs. We have offered part-time, full time and flexi-hour jobs to 3,800 healthcare workers, generated USD450,000 in revenue, and USD180,000 in grants and investments.

start-ups mission ON A

NAOM MONARI FOUNDING CEO BENA CARE LTD • KENYA SUPPORTED BY: PANGEA TRUST

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THE AFRILABS CAPACITY BUILDING PROGRAMME IMPACTS A LOCAL INNOVATION COMMUNITY IN TANZANIA BY AJUMA ABAH

AfriLabs Public Relations and Communications Manager

many achievements. It has been able to pilot its business model and restructure its activities as a venture builder. It supported eleven startups with top-level venture building support, two of which have received follow-up investments from other investors, while another four are in the accelerator stage. EV has also set up an angel network that invests and co-invests alongside other networks within the region, and is coordinating the creation of a Tanzania Eco-founders initiative with twenty-two hub members. Similarly, several other hubs across Africa have been beneficiaries of the ACBP. These include

Clean Tech Hub and TechQuest STEM – both in Nigeria; and Women’s Haven Africa in Ghana, among others. Indeed, the ACBP has become a must-have for every hub and startup in Africa’s entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem.

“In all you do, always strive to acquire skills that make you stand out”, says Folorunsho Alakija, one of Africa’s richest women. A great example of the importance of building knowledge/skill is the Ennovate Ventures’ (EV) experience with the AfriLabs Capacity Building Programme (ACBP). EV Tanzania, a member hub in the AfriLabs network, is on a mission to enable underserved tech founders in Africa to succeed. The COVID-19 pandemic which caused unparalleled socio-economic disruption made a strong case for entrepreneurship in Africa. It revealed the need to seek for alternative solutions to society’s problems, one of which is entrepreneurship, as opposed

to relying solely on the government. The fact is that many entrepreneurs in Africa lack access to finance among other issues, and it is against this backdrop that EV works to support businesses. Before enrolling in the ACBP, EV needed information on how to evolve sustainably, adopt the right business model and decide on the key role to play within the ecosystem. While participating in the AfriLabs’ Hubs Learning Week (HWL) series, practical lessons were learnt on developing sustainable programmes and partnerships. Furthermore, EV received the Virtual Meetup Grant and the Capacity Building Award.

MANY ENTREPRENEURS IN AFRICA LACK ACCESS TO FINANCE AMONG OTHER ISSUES, AND IT IS AGAINST THIS BACKDROP THAT EV WORKS TO SUPPORT BUSINESSES.

Since participating in the ACBP, EV has recorded

AFR I LABS

KUBATANA MAGAZINE | OCTOBER 2022

Is there a gender gap in financing Africa’s early-stage ventures? Are there differences between female and male founders—such as the sectors they choose, or the ambitions they have—that could explain divergent funding paths? As start-up financing in Africa keeps climbing to new records, these questions are becoming more urgent. To find answers, Briter Bridges’ and the World Bank’s Africa Gender

Female founders are underrepresented in the sectors that attract the most financing. This underrepresentation is partly because there are more male than female founders, and the latter are also more likely to operate in sub sectors that attract less investment, such as edtech or healthtech. However, even when they work in sectors with high investor interest, all-female teams are still less likely to receive

financing than all-male teams, and they receive smaller amounts if they do receive financing. In our sample of 172 entrepreneurs, male and female founders followed different financing paths. Female founders in our sample were less likely to pitch for equity investments than male founders. Conversely, they were more likely to apply for bank loans or to prefer growth from retained earnings. Among companies that raised external financing, however, those with all-male founding teams received higher amounts of both equity and debt. A confidence gap separates female and male founders in our sample. Female survey respondents showed

IN SEARCH OF EQUITY: EXPLORING AFRICA’S GENDER GAP IN

Innovation Lab combed through years of deal flow data and surveyed a random sample of 172 entrepreneurs operating across the continent. Here is an excerpt of what they learnt: Female founders receive only a small fraction of the total investment in African technology firms. Their analysis of start-up financing deals since 2013 shows that only 3 percent of funding went to all-female founding teams, compared with 76 percent of funding that went to all-male teams. The amount of funding they received is disproportionately small because 11 percent out of the 2,400 companies for which demographic information was available, are all- female teams. And, although investment in the African tech space has skyrocketed since 2013, the proportion going to all-female founding teams has changed very little.

less confidence in their ability to pitch to investors and in their firms’ ability to grow. This confidence gap is despite the fact that women entrepreneurs in the sample were more educated, had the same amount of professional experience as male founders, and experienced similar revenue changes in the previous year. Female entrepreneurs pay it forward. Companies led by female founders in the survey were twice as likely to hire women, and four times as likely to employ female managers.

FEMALE FOUNDERS RECEIVE ONLY A SMALL FRACTION OF THE TOTAL INVESTMENT IN AFRICAN TECHNOLOGY FIRMS. THEIR ANALYSIS OF START-UP FINANCING DEALS SINCE 2013 SHOWS THAT ONLY 3 PERCENT OF FUNDING WENT TO ALL-FEMALE FOUNDING TEAMS, COMPARED WITH 76 PERCENT OF FUNDING THAT WENT TO ALL-MALE TEAMS.

STARTUP FINANCE

Read the full report at www.briterbridges.com

start-ups on a mission KUBATANA MAGAZINE | OCTOBER 2022

WHAT PROBLEM IS YOUR STARTUP TRYING TO SOLVE? F.R.E.S.H.i.A specializes in the production and sale of natural fruit juices. The startup aims to standardize the field of African-style fast food by imposing our “CHAPCHAP…by FRESHiA” brand, as a benchmark for hygiene, modernity, proximity and reliability. WHAT CHALLENGES ARE YOU FACING IN ACCOMPLISHING THAT TASK? The main challenges we face are the locations and unfair competition from other sellers, the legal void in the operation of curbs, the accounting traceability of the products sold and the management/training and brainstorming of agents. WHAT ROLE HAS THE HUB PLAYED IN INFLUENCING YOUR STARTUP? The “Expertlabs” Hub was the

first structure to understand and support our vision, and act for the realization of our project. Thanks to numerous work sessions, we were able to clarify certain points, formalize our company, participate in a startup competition and obtain our first external financing (in the form of a grant and a bank loan that we quickly absorbed). All these in less than 6 months. We would not be where we are so quickly if Expertlabs had not accompanied us. What milestones have you accomplished so far? To its credit, F.R.E.S.H.i.A has two active points of sale and two others in the process of opening. In search of innovation in every detail, the first point of sale is mobile: a customized tricycle, modified and

equipped as a kiosk for the sale of sandwiches and fruit juices. It is very popular with young customers. The second point of sale is a maritime centenary, also completely modified and equipped as a restaurant, offering more space and more customer products. We plan to open at least 10 new “CHAPCHAP…by FRESHiA” points of sale by 2027. COULIBALY ABDRAHAMANE FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE MANAGER F.R.E.S.H.I.A • MALI SUPPORTED BY: EXPERT’LABS

HUMANS OF KUBATANA MAGAZINE | OCTOBER 2022

AFR I LABS

HUMANS OF

WHY DOES YOUR HUB EXIST? In the Bono East Region, about 90% of jobs are in the informal economy, associated with low- productivity, low-quality and low-paid jobs. Lack of “decent” employment, along with high unemployment, socio-economic and gender inequalities have contributed to high poverty levels among young people. Agrico Hub is a safe haven for young innovators and entrepreneurs to pursue their entrepreneurial dream. We are committed to providing technical and managerial support services to young people to launch and grow sustainable enterprises that will feed into local economic development. As a business innovation hub, we believe the youth hold the economic future of our continent. WHAT DO YOU DO AND HOW DO YOU DO IT? The hub achieves its mission through training and equipping young entrepreneurs, especially women and young people in agriculture, entrepreneurship, and Agro-based IT innovation within the Bono East Region with training, incubation, networking and funding opportunities needed to boost and help them become leading entrepreneurs in Ghana. We assist startups with longer-term business development (e.g. a minimum viable product, a prototype, and/or a sustainable business model) by

offering incubation and acceleration programmes that target startups from the ideation stage to maturity. WHAT ROLE HAS AFRILABS PLAYED IN YOUR HUB’S JOURNEY? Through the various capacity strengthening programmes by AfriLabs, our hub has restructured our business model to meet the changing trend in the innovation ecosystem. These programmes among others have also enabled our team to build networks among innovation hubs across Africa.

AFRILABS GEORGE ANTWI-BOASIAKO CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER AGRICO HUB GHANA

AFRILABS

start-ups on a mission KUBATANA MAGAZINE | OCTOBER 2022

WHAT PROBLEM IS YOUR STARTUP TRYING TO SOLVE? GoGo Play is the first South Sudanese monetized entertainment platform based on an online ticketing system, music and video streaming. GoGoPlay’s mission is to expose, promote and market local content creators within South Sudan and to the globe; our vision is a one stop destination to all South Sudanese entertainment. Statistically, only about 5000 content creators in South Sudan use social media platforms to share their contents because we do not have digital platforms to do so. Even YouTube does not recognize South Sudan which makes it hard for our contents to cross borders. Also, content creators shoot and record expensive contents but do not get any money out of them. I have come up with GoGoPlay in order to contribute to solving some of our challenges from within; for content creators to earn out of their contents,

WHAT MILESTONES HAVE YOU ACCOMPLISHED SO FAR? The milestone taken is the starting of the website ( www. gogoplayssd.com ) where creators can post and people can feel, view and experience.

get exposed and market to the world what we have as a nation. Furthermore, GoGoPlay is for consumers to get quality service and enjoy the goodness and value of pure entertainment. WHAT CHALLENGES ARE YOU FACING IN ACCOMPLISHING THAT TASK? The challenges I faced and still face are financial, especially in relation to developing an app. But I had to start with a website. WHAT ROLE HAS THE HUB PLAYED IN INFLUENCING YOUR STARTUP? Koneta Hub played a great role through providing advice, mentorship, skills development, networking in vast platforms, teaching of workplace culture and problem-solving skills which built more confidence and support for the project to kick off.

RACHEL HAKIM FOUNDER GOGO PLAY • SOUTH SUDAN SUPPORTED BY: KONETA HUB

AFR I LABS

KUBATANA MAGAZINE | OCTOBER 2022

COMMUNITIES, NOT BUBBLES: BUILDING SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES TO DRIVE IMPACT

ensure that there are actions put in place after listening. Some of the most successful programs at AfriLabs to date have been birthed from our several “listening initiatives” like the AfriLabs City Meet-ups, AfriLabs Listening Tour, AfriLabs Virtual Town Hall Meetings and, of course, the catch-up calls with the community. Committed to capacity building: For any network organisation, your success relies heavily on the impact and growth of your community. As a community manager, you have to consistently come up with programs and strategies that are targeted at increasing the capacity of your community. It is why we have the AfriLabs Capacity Building Programme and other capacity- building-centred projects. Empathy: When all is said and done, a network organisation cannot have an actively engaged community if it does not constantly empathise

with its members. This is the key element that gives members a sense of belonging, thereby making them vested in the overall growth of the network. As a growing network of over 350 hubs in 52 African countries, these key points have helped ensure that we are building a thriving and sustainable community that is making an impact on the continent, one that doesn’t fade with time and bursts as bubbles.

THERE IS NO BETTER WAY OF DEVELOPING THE AFRICAN ECONOMY THAN BY HARNESSING THE POWER OF THE COMMUNITY.

BY KENECHUKWU CHUKWU, Member Services Manager, AfriLabs

Transparency: This is a very key element in building an engaged community. Over the years at AfriLabs, we have ensured that we were always transparent with the community on all our processes, which has led to community members developing an unwavering loyalty to the network because they understood our processes. Making all voices count: This phrase might remind you of the concluded HIVOS-sponsored program AfriLabs was a part of. However, it best defines a key and essential element for the growth of any diverse community. To successfully make all voices count in a network, you have to not only listen but

There is no better way of developing the African economy than by harnessing the power of the community. A community is known as a group of people who have common interests and share the same/similar ideas and belief systems. UBUNTU is an African term that qualifies oneness and places emphasis on the interconnectedness of all life. AfriLabs, a pan-African network organisation, believes in and operates on the Ubuntu philosophy, and this did not happen overnight. We had to build trust and provide a sense of belonging to our community, and here is how we achieved it:

HUMANS OF KUBATANA MAGAZINE | OCTOBER 2022

AFR I LABS

HUMANS OF

WHAT IS YOUR HUB’S MOTIVATION? We are driven by the need to provide underserved founders in Africa a platform to build wealth via profitable and investable businesses. This drives our choice of a venture studio model, operational strategies and how our community has and is evolving. HOW IS YOUR HUB ACHIEVING ITS GOAL? Our goal over the next 4+ years is to spin-off 15 ventures and support over 100 through programmes and projects. According to our special studio model, which gives us a greater level of ownership, we are able to split up businesses if we see that they are attempting to do too many things at once, or we can join businesses when we see unexpected synergies. It’s simple to spin off a fantastic idea that began as a solution to a specific issue in one of our firms to become the foundation of a completely new company. Talent may be allocated to be used when and where it is most needed. This is no different from the allocation of capital. We can assist the ventures we wish to start in a prudent way, making sure they have enough resources to overcome obstacles but not too much that they get sidetracked or reckless. Comparatively speaking, this funding strategy is significantly more methodical than that of the

incubators, venture capitalists and traditional investment banks. However, the aspect of democratising the entire process of enterprise/ wealth creation is what delights us the most. WHAT ROLE HAS AFRILABS PLAYED IN YOUR HUB’S JOURNEY? AfriLabs has provided us a pan-African network of like minds and access to great learning experience that has contributed to the growth of our team.

AFRILABS DAMILOLA OBIDAIRO COFOUNDER/CEO 8TH GEAR HUB NIGERIA

WE ARE DRIVEN BY THE NEED TO PROVIDE UNDERSERVED FOUNDERS IN AFRICA A PLATFORM TO BUILD WEALTH VIA PROFITABLE AND INVESTABLE BUSINESSES.

AFRILABS

start-ups on a mission KUBATANA MAGAZINE | OCTOBER 2022

WHAT PROBLEM IS YOUR STARTUP TRYING TO SOLVE? Peleza is a technological risk management solution that helps businesses make more confident business decisions by providing accurate, accessible, timely and vital information. We are pioneering innovative scalable solutions to power decisions across Africa by being the data powerhouse of recruitment, on-boarding & business partnering information. The problem Peleza is solving is the pains experienced by hiring managers when seeking to find the best fit for the roles due to embellishment on job-seekers CVs. Negligent hires result in grave financial losses resulting from high staff turnover costs, fraudulent activities and reputational damage. WHAT CHALLENGES ARE YOU FACING IN ACCOMPLISHING THAT TASK? Digitization of public and private records in Africa is a big challenge. Most

institutions who serve as our primary data sources rely on manual processes while assisting us conduct verifications. This slows down our turnaround time for report delivery to our clients. WHAT ROLE HAS THE HUB PLAYED IN INFLUENCING YOUR STARTUP? The Justice Accelerator Programme from HiiL has positively influenced our way of thinking in relation to our business output and purpose. This greatly assisted us to create tools to track our impact. Additionally, we now have a better view of our metrics, KPIs & the impact/ benefits we are delivering to our clients and how we can better our products to drive more change. WHAT MILESTONES HAVE YOU ACCOMPLISHED SO FAR? We have formed strategic partnerships with primary data sources such as education institutions and employers among others to ensure we get accurate

automated information. We have expanded our reach to be able to serve over 10 African countries including Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and Cote d’ Ivoire.

MARITA MUTEMI CEO & FOUNDER PELEZA INTERNATIONAL LIMITED KENYA SUPPORTED BY: THE HAGUE INSTI- TUTE FOR INNOVATION OF LAW (HIIL) INNOVATION HUBS

KUBATANA MAGAZINE | OCTOBER 2022

AFR I LABS

institutions to civil society, cor- porate bodies, innovators, en- trepreneurs, storytellers, his- torians, national governments and so on working towards Af- rica’s economic development, self-sufficiency and dignity. Historically, we are a people willing to work to contribute to long-term development, wheth- er technological or economic. At AfriLabs, we showcase this in how our member hubs and partners preserve our histo- ry, protect our innovations, pro- duce innovations continuously and provide holistic support to innovators across the continent. Members like the Media Innova- tion Network supports creative storytellers, and Baraza Media Lab that’s working to strength- en Kenya’s media ecosystem, ensuring that innovative stories are told well and preserved. Association of Startup and SME

Enablers of Kenya, Ghana Hubs Network and Innovation Sup- port Network have been at the forefront of leading policy agen- das by ensuring that the needs and rights of the innovator are top of mind when crafting na- tional innovation policies. Hubs across the continent are supporting manufacturing pro- cesses and connecting custom- ers to hardware, engineering and manufacturing companies to increase Africa’s capacity to produce finished goods. Check out the Nigeria Hardware Eco- system Map championed by Clintonel Innovation Centre, among others. Gearbox on its part, offers prototyping facili- ties, training in manufacturing, fabrication and design, mentor- ship, investment opportunities and community development. Our partners Liquid Technolo- gies are working with hubs like Innovation Village, Bongo Hive

and others by offering critical infrastructures like high-speed connectivity and cloud services and supporting gaming and IOT as avenues for African innova- tors to create. This post is a part of the Power- ing Local Innovation initiative, a project of Mozilla’s Africa Mra- di. Africa Mradi is a programme that seeks to foster an ecosys- tem of allies working toward a healthier internet and promot- ing innovation grounded in the unique needs of users in the Af- rican region.

CELEBRATING AFRICA’S TRADE GENIUS AND MAPPING THE FUTURE OF INTRA-AFRICAN TRADE BY NEKESA WERE Director of Strategy, AfriLabs

NEKESA WERE Director of Strategy, AfriLabs

THE FUTURE OF INTRA- AFRICAN TRADE IS IN OUR HANDS, AND ITS SUCCESS IS DEPENDENT ON THE ACTIONS OF PAN AFRICANS FROM ALL SPHERES

Africa has a rich trade histo- ry that we should celebrate and learn from. Trade across Africa is as old as the continent itself, and we stand on the shoulders of our ances- tors who perfected it. Think of our ancient and famous trad- ing cities such as Kilwa Kisiwani and Sofala off the Eastern coast- line. From the Mutapa kingdom’s trade, that stretched from Zim- babwe across to Mozambique

to the city of Gao in West Afri- ca, whose trade routes reached Cairo in North Africa, Africans traversed deserts, rivers, for- ests and oceans in pursuit of business solutions for Africa and the world - think of the Sahara trade route that was part of the original silk road - reaching an- cient Afghanistan, Iraq and Chi- na! AfriLabs, Mozilla and Omidyar Network were honoured to host

Brian Kagoro, Mona Nya, Adetola Onayemi, Bismark Addo and José Luis Tavares Semedo for a con- versation that reflected on this rich history and shared ideas for how we could collectively ensure successful modern day intra-Af- rican trade. The future of intra-African trade is in our hands, and its success is dependent on the actions of Pan Africans from all spheres, from financial and development

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