KUBATANA MAGAZINE | OCTOBER 2022
AFR I LABS
Promoting innovation in Af- rica is key to overcoming various socio-economic challenges: Initiatives such as this provide a space for African innovation to develop and thrive, and set a positive example for global audienc- es, especially concerning environmental issues. Next Steps: All the participants have been selected for the three strands and are on their way to receiv- ing financial and non-financial support to develop and scale their initiatives. If you want to know more, visit https://afri-plastics.challenges.org/news/
challenge involved a public competition looking for inno- vative local solutions to plastic mismanagement which can be developed and scaled in Africa, to solve the continent’s marine plastic pollution challenges. The Challenge is amplifying in- novators’ efforts to take steps in addressing plastic misman- agement. What became clear during the review of submissions was that the support needed was not only financial but would in- volve enhancing other areas of the innovators’ business oper- ations as well as market reach. To address these issues, Afri- Labs and Blue Globe Innova- tion partnered with The Chal- lenge Works, an organisation based in London, United King-
dom that focuses on develop- ing challenge prizes that ex- cite and engage the brightest minds. The partnership scout- ed for innovators and provided market support in the form of capacity building and mentor- ship to the innovators partici- pating in the programme. Lessons we have learnt so far: Mentorship can surface in- sights that strengthen eco- system circularity: The en- gagement of mentors from the innovators’ countries de- veloped bonds and gave in- depth perspectives on the- matic challenges innovators were facing.
IMPROVING INNOVATION SUPPORT UNDER THE AFRI-PLASTICS CHALLENGE PROGRAMME BY LYDIA EZENWA Programmes and Francophone Engagement Officer, AfriLabs
As African nations strive to achieve national, continental and global development goals, the pol- lution of the continent’s waters will continue to hurt the communities that rely on healthy marine ecosys- tems to survive, as well as the en- tire marine value chain. Address- ing this plastic problem requires
rigorous attention and practical education for sustainability. To address the challenge of plas- tic mismanagement in sub-Sa- haran African countries, a prize challenge funded by the Canadian Government called the Afri-Plas- tics Challenge was launched. The
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