2022 AfriLabs Annual Report

Learn more about AfriLabs' activities, outcomes and impact in 2022.

An annual report of AfriLabs’ impact

2022: Connecting Africa’s ecosystem enablers to strengthen its innovation economy

Table of Content

What AfriLabs is about

Building bridges for sustainable innovation support

The AfriLabs Community: Developing Africa’s innovation economy

8 9

How we grew this year

The 2023 AfriLabs Annual Gathering Meeting (AGM) and Board Election

11 12

Hubs achievements

The AfriLabs Secretariat: Building the right culture for growth

17 18 19 20

Team Growth

Diversification of the Team Learning and Development

Improvement of the organisation’s culture

Supporting the African Innovation Community through Partnership

AfriLabs joins the Smart Africa Alliance

AfriLabs and Make-IT in Africa foster intra-Africa collaboration, connectivity and innovation at the 2022 AfriLabs Annual Gathering Afreximbank, Meta and Others come together for the 2022 AfriLabs Annual Gathering UNFPA in collaboration with AfriLabs launched its Incubation Programme to support ideas tackling FGM and Climate Change Intel and AfriLabs collaborate to support the African Deep Tech Startup Ecosystem AfriLabs and Association of Countrywide Innovation Hubs, Kenya sign MoU to support grassroots hubs

31 32

Our partners in 2022

Increasing the capacity of African hubs to support African startups

33 35

What we did this year

An annual report of AfriLabs’ impact

Quarterly Hubs Learning Week

35 35 37 38

Meetup Grants

Physical Workshops

Capacity building Awards

Impact of the AfriLabs Capacity Building Programme (ACBP) in 2022

Funding African Startups through Catalytic Africa

Digitising the African Union: AU Digital and Innovation Fellowship Program

African Union Civic Tech Fund

Supporting Climate Change Adaptation Enterprises through the 2022 YouthAdapt Challenge

GIZ-PAU Incubation Programme

Projects by AfriLabs in 2022 (by sector)

Projects’ Impact Overview

Events as a tool for collaboration and advocacy Cross-border Payments and e-Commerce in Africa

57 59 60 61 62

AfriLabs Candid Conversations

Lean Data Practices to Future-Proof your Business

Zayed Sustainability Prize Roadshow

Pre-AAG session: The Role of Innovation Hubs in the entrepreneurship ecosystem in Africa Building Intra-Africa Collaborations at the 2022 AfriLabs Annual Gathering

AfriLabs Academy: First ever E-Learning platform for Innovation Enablers in Africa 68

Connecting the African Innovation Ecosystem on AfriLabs Connect Telling our stories through Kubatana Magazine by AfriLabs

2023: Building a community that fuels Africa’s digital economy

2022: Connecting Africa’s ecosystem enablers to strengthen its innovation economy

What AfriLabs is about

AfriLabs is a network organisation of over 400 innovation hubs across 52 African countries and the diaspora. We support these hubs by building the capacity of their managers and staff, promoting local and regional collaboration and providing access to funding for their projects and startups. These hubs in turn support startups across the continent who build relevant and scalable solutions, thereby improving the lives of everyone and the economy in Africa.

OUR VISION

A thriving innovation economy in Africa, driven by the power of our community.

OUR MISSION

To support innovation hubs and their communities to raise high-potential entrepreneurs that will stimulate economic growth and social development in Africa. We achieve this through capacity building, financing, networking, policy advocacy, and providing insightful, reliable data.

An annual report of AfriLabs’ impact

Building bridges for sustainable innovation support

Foreword by Anna Ekeledo, Executive Director, AfriLabs

Presenting the 2022 edition of our Annual Report Series, which showcases our progress and achievements in navigating the challenges and opportunities of Africa’s rapidly evolving innovation landscape. Our main focus has been on fostering sustainable innovation ecosystems that promote economic growth and development. We firmly believe that innovation is essential for addressing Africa’s challenges and creating a more prosperous continent. The past year has been marked by growth and expansion for AfriLabs. We have welcomed new members and experienced continued growth in our community of innovation hubs. Our members remain committed to equipping entrepreneurs with the resources, skills, and networks needed to build sustainable businesses that solve Africa’s challenges and create job opportunities. We have accomplished significant milestones in the past year, including releasing our strategic document, “Building A Thriving Innovation Economy - Setting Africa up for Success” which outlines the necessary steps to make Africa a global leader in innovation. We remain committed to working towards this goal and have made significant progress.

We are proud to have organized the 2022 AfriLabs Annual Gathering in Lusaka, Zambia, which brought together stakeholders from across the African innovation ecosystem to network, learn, and build partnerships. Our member hubs have achieved significant successes, launching new incubation programmes and supporting startups in sectors such as fintech, healthtech, and

agri-tech. We are proud to see the impact of our work on the African innovation ecosystem and the wider community. We acknowledge the importance of building a growth-oriented culture,

2022: Connecting Africa’s ecosystem enablers to strengthen its innovation economy

diversifying our team, and prioritizing learning and development. We have made strides in these areas, including expanding our team to ensure diversity, equity, and inclusion, introducing the AfriLabs Academy, and prioritizing learning and development opportunities for our team and community members. AfriLabs as a key stakeholder continues to advocate for policies that support innovation and we are also proud of our recently launched policy pathways whitepaper. This document proposes a framework for creating an enabling policy environment in African countries. In 2022, we continued to build partnerships, and fund hubs and startups through programmes such as the AfriLabs Capacity Building Programme (ACBP), Catalytic Africa, and the African Union Digital and Innovation Fellowship Program. We have also launched the African Union Civic Tech Fund, which supports African tech solutions that address social challenges. Our events and initiatives have provided valuable platforms for collaboration and advocacy, connecting and supporting the African innovation ecosystem and providing critical insights, information, and stories. Moving forward, we remain committed to building a community that becomes the backbone for Africa’s digital economy, supporting our members and partners in fostering sustainable innovation ecosystems, and creating a more prosperous continent for all.

Anna Ekeledo Executive Director, AfriLabs

An annual report of AfriLabs’ impact

The AfriLabs Community: Developing Africa’s innovation economy

AfriLabs as a network organisation exists because of our community of innovation hubs and in 2022, we experienced remarkable growth across the network. We grew in terms of our reach and also in the quality of the interventions of the hubs in the communities. Whenever we receive a new application from an African hub to join the network, it further confirms the importance of our work in supporting innovation across the continent by empowering innovation hubs.

“We are thankful for our admission into the AfriLabs network. This will help us rise higher and learn from other similar organizations on the continent. RiseUp Social Enterprise is Ethiopia’s largest rural youth skills development organization and the second biggest hub in the country. We are creating an open ecosystem for young people to build a pathway to a better economy. We are fighting poverty and creating equality for the less privileged ones in our community - those affected by disasters and the impact of climate change. Thank you again for this opportunity. We are excited to work, partner and reach more with the AfriLabs community.”

“It is still day one at AfriLabs. This is not because we have not grown over the years but rather because we believe there’s a lot more to accomplish. We welcome these new members to the AfriLabs network. I encourage them to connect with older members and get the collaboration ball rolling!”

AJIBOLA ODUKOYA AfriLabs Chief Operating Officer.

“As an incubator supporting young Malagasy entrepreneurs in Tech, Zafy Tody is truly excited to be part of the AfriLabs network. We look forward to our incubated startups scaling their venture horizons across Africa, and gaining more business expertise and financial support.”

USAMA MOHAMED Executive Director, RiseUp Social Enterprise, Ethiopia.

ANDRÉA ZAFITODY LI-SAI CHIMENTO Founder, Zafy Tody, Madagascar.

2022: Connecting Africa’s ecosystem enablers to strengthen its innovation economy

How we grew this year

The AfriLabs community is a growing network of communities. Each quarter, we admit new members to expand our impact towards achieving our vision to build a thriving innovation economy in Africa.

AfriLabs has grown its network to

400 hubs in 241 cities across 52 African countries over the past year.

Below is a detailed breakdown of the quarterly admission stats:

An annual report of AfriLabs’ impact

2022: Connecting Africa’s ecosystem enablers to strengthen its innovation economy

The 2023 AfriLabs Annual Gathering Meeting (AGM) and Board Election

The 2022 AfriLabs Annual General Meeting was held on Thursday, the 25th day of October 2022 at Ciela Resort, Lusaka, Zambia. The AGM commenced at exactly 9:00 hours GMT+2 with hub members in attendance physically and virtually. This edition of the AGM featured deliberations on issues affecting the community and the secretariat, presentations by different teams and elections to a vacant board position (previously held by Takunda Chingonzo) and to select the location for the 2023 AGM and AfriLabs Annual Gathering. Below are members that ran for the available position:

• Franciscah Munanie Nzanga, Chief

Operating Officer Villgro Africa, Kenya

Dr. Itoro Charles Emembolu won the majority and emerged as the new board member. 250STARTUPS, Rwanda also emerged top above CIPEM, Niger to co-host the 2024 AfriLabs Annual Gathering. • Maurice Cashinco, Managing Director Kumasi, Ghana • Dr. Itoro Charles Emembolu, Director & Member Board of Trustees TechQuest STEM Academy, Nigeria • Jayeola, Okuazun, General Manager, Ventures Park, Nigeria

“I am excited about this opportunity to help steer AfriLabs and represent our interests on the board level. I hope to work with all the hubs and make African voices very loud.”

DR. ITORO CHARLES EMEMBOLU Director & Member Board of Trustees TechQuest STEM Academy, Nigeria.

An annual report of AfriLabs’ impact

Hubs Achievements

2022: Connecting Africa’s ecosystem enablers to strengthen its innovation economy

An annual report of AfriLabs’ impact

2022: Connecting Africa’s ecosystem enablers to strengthen its innovation economy

An annual report of AfriLabs’ impact

2022: Connecting Africa’s ecosystem enablers to strengthen its innovation economy

The AfriLabs Secretariat: Building the right culture for growth

Physically situated in Abuja, Nigeria, the AfriLabs secretariat is the engine room of the organisation. The team comprises professionals with diverse backgrounds and impactful years of experience planning and executing development projects in Africa. In the last year, AfriLabs’ HR and Operations department has improved on their efforts to create a culture that encourages growth, happiness and diversity.

The AfriLabs team is a true reflection of the endless possibilities of human capital in Africa. AfriLabs is a testament that the youth and women of Africa can and will continue to do great things on the global stage. The organisation is run by young people and it has a gender diversity of 75% pro- women with an average workforce age of 31. The AfriLabs secretariat comprises 12 Heads of Departments led by the Executive Director that are self-motivated and possess a high level of accountability in leading the organs of the organisation. With a staff strength of 40+ individuals, we have 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. We are truly a Pan African Organisation led by African youth towards building an Africa that truly reflects the potential and aspirations of Africans.

At AfriLabs, we’re committed to fostering a positive environment where every individual has the opportunity to thrive and grow. We’re constantly building and nurturing an inclusive culture that aligns with our vision and values, that empowers everyone to take ownership of their work and succeed in their roles. Our goal is to create a diverse team that’s inspired and motivated to reach their full potential.

AJIBOLA ODUKOYA AfriLabs Chief Operating Officer.

RAHEL CHUKWU Director & Member Board of Trustees TechQuest STEM Academy, Nigeria.

An annual report of AfriLabs’ impact

Team Growth

In the year in view, there has been tremendous numeric growth within the team. We have recorded new numbers of great talents across the various departments. The AfriLabs secretariat team currently stands at 37, excluding other consultants and short-term staff. AfriLabs has an organizational structure that speaks to the internal segregation of duties spread across 13 departments.

2022: Connecting Africa’s ecosystem enablers to strengthen its innovation economy

Diversification of the Team

AfriLabs being a Pan African organization, we have recorded in-take of employees from other African countries holding notable positions. The language barrier and time zone differences have not been a challenge. Rather, it has stirred the team into proffering solutions and finding a way out.

The AfriLabs current team comprises professionals from seven (7) different African countries such as;

An annual report of AfriLabs’ impact

Learning and Development

Through the AfriLabs Academy courses and the Knowledge Sharing Sessions tagged AfriLabs Eureka, the team has been able to build the team capacity. These sessions have fostered more collaboration among team members and improved the knowledge, and experience of the team about the African innovation ecosystem. The level of engagement and quality of content are indicators of the impact of these eureka sessions.

2022: Connecting Africa’s ecosystem enablers to strengthen its innovation economy

Improving the Organisation’s Culture

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the nature of our work changed for the better as we adopted a hybrid work schedule. We have been able to leverage technology to deliver more efficiently. This has helped to improve employee satisfaction and productivity within the organization. We have introduced team bonding activities to connect and strengthen the relationship between team members. These include game nights, parties, and visits to recreational locations (e.g safaris) etc.

An annual report of AfriLabs’ impact

2022: Connecting Africa’s ecosystem enablers to strengthen its innovation economy

Supporting the African Innovation Community through Partnership

We continued our efforts to build sustainable and impactful partnerships with diverse stakeholders in different sectors. We achieved a lot as an organisation in the last year and we have our partners to thank.

“The quality of partnerships we have gone into in the last year is a reflection of our determination to build bridges and rally the ecosystem together to scale impact across Africa. We appreciate the individuals and organisations that joined forces with us in 2022 and we look forward to shaking more hands across the table”

Here are the partnerships and collaborations we entered in 2022:

FELISTA AKU Partnerships Manager, AfriLabs.

An annual report of AfriLabs’ impact

AfriLabs joins the Smart Africa Alliance

AfriLabs, the largest Pan-African network of technology and innovation hubs, joined the Smart Africa Alliance in a partnership aimed at guiding and advancing the basic framework to develop the startup ecosystems across the continent. As an international non-profit organisation with the Alliance, AfriLabs will closely support the Smart Africa startup and innovation ecosystem initiatives. ICTs, especially startups, can be a considerable lever of action for African States as they can create wealth and jobs; and improve the efficiency and transparency of the administration, as well as access to basic social services. As part of its mission to accelerate sustainable socio-economic development on the continent, the Smart Africa Alliance has pledged to develop a master plan for an ecosystem of startups and innovation in Africa to support the efforts to update existing policy frameworks in many countries in the continent. This is also part of its flagship projects.

2022: Connecting Africa’s ecosystem enablers to strengthen its innovation economy

“AfriLabs remains committed to supporting the African innovation ecosystem and we are always happy to collaborate with organisations whose vision aligns with ours. Our community is at the heart of all we do. Thus, AfriLabs will continue to offer support, not only to startups – through their hubs which are our members – but also to other stakeholders of the ecosystem such as the Smart Africa Alliance”.

“Innovation and startup ecosystems form a key component of our vision to build a single digital market in Africa. Therefore, welcoming AfriLabs to the alliance is naturally aligned with our objectives and I have no doubt, the Pan- African network for innovation hubs will bring their expertise and experience to sustain our ambition”

MR. LACINA KONÉ CEO/Director General, Smart Africa Secretariat.

ANNA EKELEDO AfriLabs Executive Director.

AfriLabs and Make-IT in Africa foster intra-Africa collaboration, connectivity and innovation at the 2022 AfriLabs Annual Gathering

AfriLabs and Make-IT in Africa collaborated to support national innovation networks across Africa at the 2022 AAG. AfriLabs and Make-IT in Africa have worked together successfully since 2019 to support local partners in laying solid foundations for robust and resilient innovation ecosystems. In the last decade, AfriLabs has provided a platform for dialogue amongst all stakeholders in the African innovation and technology ecosystem and beyond the continent. Among the ways in which this has been implemented are interventions to empower innovation hubs and support entrepreneurs, as well as collaborative efforts with pan-African institutions and governments in developing innovative policies, capacity-building programs, innovative financing models for entrepreneurs, and research and development.

“Only collective action and joint investment can challenge the gaps, barriers and protectionism that stand in the way of African innovation. Make-IT in Africa is delighted to collaborate with partners like AfriLabs who believe in the power and work towards truly interconnected pan- African innovation ecosystems. With our support to this year’s Gathering, we wish to underline the central role of women in strengthening environments where innovation can thrive – not only, but especially when it comes to leadership – and advocate for intra-Africa collaboration and connectivity that taps into the female powerhouse.”

MATTHIAS REHFELD Head of program, Make-IT in Africa

An annual report of AfriLabs’ impact

Afreximbank, Meta and Others come together for the 2022 AfriLabs Annual Gathering

Several top players in Africa’s innovation ecosystem participated as partners at the 7th AfriLabs Annual Gathering (AAG), that took place in Lusaka, Zambia from the 26th to the 28th of October, 2022 with the theme, “Intra-Africa Connectivity, Collaboration and Innovation”. These partners include Mozilla, GIZ Make-IT, Africa Union, GIZ-AU, International Trade Centre (ITC), Venture Capitalists for Africa (VC4A), Wylde International, Zanaco Plc., Flourish Ventures, Briter Bridges, Africa Business Heroes (ABH) and GIZ-PAU. Others include Agence Francaise de Developpement (AFD), Accelerated Growth for SMEs (AGS), United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Intel, Emirates Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines, Liquid Intelligent Technologies, Meta (Facebook) and Brienze and Lloyds Aviation. The mass media was not left behind as TechCabal and Radio Phoenix also signed up as press partners.

“We are thrilled to be sponsoring such a distinguished and in uential event in the African tech space. AfriLabs, which focuses on building a community and empowering tech founders and entrepreneurs across all of the rapidly emerging tech hubs in Africa, ts perfectly with the ideology of our new Africa-focused pre-seed investment program. We appreciate the role that institutions such as AfriLabs play in encouraging innovative solutions to boost Africa’s burgeoning entrepreneurial spirit, and we are looking forward to partnering and helping accelerate AfriLabs’ ongoing impact.”

ARJUNA COSTA Managing Partner, Flourish

“Africa’s innovation ecosystem is at a critical stage of development and in order to facilitate the progression into the next stage, relevant stakeholders need to be deliberate and strategic with collaborative efforts within and across the continent. At AfriLabs, we are always delighted to work with new and existing partners in our commitment to enabling a thriving innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem in Africa, powered by our community.”

“Zanaco Plc is pleased to partner with AfriLabs at this year’s Annual Gathering. As an organisation driving a digital rst strategy, we believe that partnerships such as this and our presence at the Afrilabs Annual Gathering will support in accelerating our digital drive”.

CHANDA KATONGO Zanaco Plc Head Client Solutions, Marketing and Corporate Communications.

ANNA EKELEDO AfriLabs Executive Director.

2022: Connecting Africa’s ecosystem enablers to strengthen its innovation economy

“ITC is excited to participate in the 2022 AfriLabs Annual Gathering at Lusaka. Under the FastTrackTech Africa project, which now falls under ITC’s new Switch ON initiative, ITC has done a lot of work supporting the tech entrepreneurship ecosystem in 7 Sub-saharan African countries - one of which is Zambia - over the past few years. In our work, we partner with and assist many business support organisations with a focus on tech hubs as they are the spill of the tech entrepreneurship ecosystems in Africa.”

MILOU VAN BRUGGEN Associate Programme Of cer (JPO) - Tech Sector Development Africa, International Trade Centre - United Nations.

“At Mozilla, our mission is to promote openness, innovation and opportunity on the web, ensuring that the Internet is a global public resource, open and accessible to all. We are excited to be part of the AfriLabs Gathering as we connect with startups, entrepreneurs, and other players within the tech ecosystem on the continent. Through one of our programmes, Lean Data Practices, we will be exploring privacy and good data management with the aim of boosting startup and entrepreneurs’ capacity on security and data governance.”

“Wylde International ltd is very glad to be here to participate in the AfriLabs Annual Gathering in Lusaka, Zambia. We are delighted to share with hubs across Africa a data backed process that they can use to achieve entrepreneurship support success. The process is called “SCALE” and has been used by organisations all over the world delivering growth to the enterprises connected to their hubs.”

ALICE MUNYUA Senior Director, Africa Innovation and public policy program, Mozilla.

CHRIS ODONGO CEO Wylde International.

An annual report of AfriLabs’ impact

UNFPA in collaboration with AfriLabs launched its Incubation Programme to support ideas tackling FGM and Climate Change Following the successful training at the UNFPA Climate and FGM HackLab (virtual bootcamps), 6 innovators were selected as winners in a follow-up pitch event and were invited to participate in the UNFPA Incubation Programme. AfriLabs leveraged its existing pipeline of innovation hubs across the locations of the innovators to provide a robust and intensive 6-month incubation programme, which entailed capacity-building activities focused on product and business development of the selected innovations, and support with resources and opportunities to produce full-fledged viable and scalable innovations and solutions. The selected hubs provided incubation services to the UNFPA Climate and FGM HackLab top innovators via online and offline channels throughout the programme. UNFPA East and Southern Africa Regional Office, under the flagship Safeguard Young People Programme, launched the Climate HackLab project in May 2021. The HackLab is a climate innovation project that aims to build climate resilience and generate innovative climate adaptation solutions led by young people, especially women and girls. The UNFPA FGM HackLab project aims to empower young people and offer them the opportunity to be game-changers and drivers of a sustainable green future. The project targets young innovators, especially women and girls, who have innovative solutions that will accelerate efforts toward UNFPA’s goal of ending gender-based violence and harmful practices by 2030.

2022: Connecting Africa’s ecosystem enablers to strengthen its innovation economy

Intel and AfriLabs collaborate to support the African Deep Tech Startup Ecosystem AfriLabs partnered with the global manufacturer of advanced integrated digital technology platforms, Intel to gain a deeper understanding of the African deep-tech startup ecosystem and identify pathways in which Intel can extend their support to deep tech startups on the continent. The startup scene in Africa has experienced incredible growth in recent years, and this is partly a result of several significant interventions by stakeholders to enable entrepreneurship and innovation in local ecosystems. AfriLabs and Intel’s collaboration hopes to sustainably build on the work done and set a framework for future interventions. At the official partnership agreement signing ceremony on the 24th of May, 2022, Intel was represented by Maurits Tichelman, Vice President SMG & GM EMEA Territory, Intel (virtual), Dr Bienvenu AGBOKPONTO SOGLO, Director, Government Affairs Africa and EMEA CTO Liaison, Intel (onsite), Kate Hach, Head of Program, Intel Ignite’s accelerator (virtual) and the Emerging Markets Director for Government and Education of Intel Corporation, Mr Sven Beckmann (virtual). Anna Ekeledo, Executive Director of AfriLabs, Daniel Chinagozi, Member of the AfriLabs Board, Ajibola Odukoya, AfriLabs COO, Nekesa Were, Director of Strategy, AfriLabs, Felista Aku, Partnerships Manager at AfriLabs and other members of the AfriLabs team represented the AfriLabs. A cross-section of high-level local and regional innovation ecosystem key players was also present. As one of the interventions under this partnership, a hybrid workshop for deep-tech startups was held in Nigeria and Kenya and across Africa. The participants were introduced to Intel Ignite and Intel

An annual report of AfriLabs’ impact

OneAPI programs.

Also as part of this collaboration, AfriLabs and Intel in partnership with African Business Angel Network held a roundtable discussion with stakeholders on Early-Stage Deep-Tech Investing across Africa in Nairobi, Kenya. It was an interactive hybrid event involving a diverse group of early-stage investors in deep-tech who shared insights and learnings within the African context. The session provided a deep dive into the pillars of the transformation and the emergence of Deep Tech in Africa, and discussions focused on the importance and role of the Deep Tech sector in economic development. The sessions also interrogated the role early-stage funding plays in this sector. In attendance across the 2-days event was Dr Bienvenu Agbokponto Soglo, Director, Government Affairs Africa and IGA CTO Liaison (PE), Intel Corporation, Nekesa Were, Director of Strategy AfriLabs, Snehar Shah, CEO, Moringa School, Tim Dagori, Board Member Association of Startup and SME Enablers of Kenya, Philip Thigo, Senior Director for Africa, Thunderbird School of Global Management, H.E. Thomas Wimmer, Acting Ambassador to Kenya, Federal Republic of Germany, Hon. Ms. Maureen Mbaka, Chief Administrative Secretary at Ministry of ICT, Innovation and Youth Affairs, Republic of Kenya, Fadilah Tchoumba, Secretary-General, African Business Angel Network – and other top stakeholders.

“According to the World Bank, deep tech companies bring transformative technology from the lab to the market in addition to democratised research infrastructure. Increased available funding has led to the rise of deep-tech companies globally, including in emerging markets and Africa, Kenya to be specific should follow suit.”

MS. MAUREEN MBAKA Chief Administrative Secretary at the Ministry of ICT, Innovation and Youth Affairs, Republic of Kenya.

“As Intel looks ahead to the next decade, our ambitions and opportunities have never been greater to unleash the power of data and help advance integrated corporate responsibility strategies in which companies use collaborative models to drive increased value creation and societal impact.”

DR BIENVENU AGBOKPONTO SOGLO Director Government Affairs Africa & EMEA CTO Liaison, Intel.

“To give more impactful support to the startup ecosystem in Africa, we need to consider specialised capacity building. Different kinds of startups need different kinds of support, and the AfriLabs partnership with Intel explores learning more about how we could better support deep tech ventures. I am particularly excited about this collaboration and how it lays the foundation for deeper interactions between the ecosystem and big global tech players like Intel.”

A report has been prepared by Intel and AfriLabs alongside Briter Bridges on the state of the deep- tech ecosystem in Africa. You can read it here.

ANNA EKELEDO Executive Director, AfriLabs.

2022: Connecting Africa’s ecosystem enablers to strengthen its innovation economy

AfriLabs and Association of Countrywide Innovation Hubs, Kenya sign MoU to support grassroots hubs

“Innovation takes place everywhere. The role of entrepreneur support organisations like AfriLabs and the Association of Countrywide Innovation Hubs in Kenya is to find, support and amplify these innovators to help them have maximum impact. AfriLabs is delighted to begin work with the Association of Countrywide Innovation Hubs in Kenya to ensure that our entrepreneur support hubs and the communities they serve, regardless of their geographical location, have an equal chance to thrive.” AfriLabs and the Association of Countrywide Innovation Hubs (ACIH) have signed a comprehensive long-term partnership to co-create capacity- building interventions, foster rural innovations, and create training and mentorship programs for grassroots hubs in Africa. It is common knowledge that most innovation support in Africa is focused on the continent’s urban centres. This has slowed down the growth of the entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems

“What a milestone. When two visionary membership organisations like the Association of Countrywide Innovation Hubs and Afrilabs come together, it can only mean one thing, a plus for African startups and communities. Through this collaboration, we are looking forward to an inclusive innovation ecosystem in Africa, and becoming a source of prosperity for all, by strengthening grassroots hubs to foster rural and peri-urban innovations and strong links with technology and innovation hubs across the continent.” in peri-urban and rural areas. This partnership aims to address this gap and tap into the innovation potential outside the big cities. The collaboration will co-create and implement capacity-building programs for AfriLabs and ACIH grassroots member hubs to support peri-urban and rural innovations. It will also support the creation of a more robust, more coordinated Pan-African ecosystem among the numerous technology and innovation hubs currently operating on the continent.

NEKESA WERE former Director of Strategy, AfriLabs

CHEPKEMOI MAGDALIN Chairperson, Association of Countrywide Innovation Hubs

An annual report of AfriLabs’ impact

Our partners in 2022

2022: Connecting Africa’s ecosystem enablers to strengthen its innovation economy

Increasing the capacity of African hubs to support African startups

AfriLabs Capacity Building Programme in 2022

Funder: Agence Française de Développement (AFD) through the Digital Africa seed fund

Partners: AfriLabs, African Business Angel Network (ABAN), Strathmore University, Kenya

Innovation hubs are being equipped with the skills needed to improve their capacity to support the growing number of startups and MSMEs in their communities across Africa through the AfriLabs Capacity Building Programme (ACBP). Launched in 2019, the ACBP is funded by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) through the Digital Africa seed fund.

The AfriLabs Capacity Building Programme (ACBP) has achieved a great feat in the past 3 years of implementation. Looking back on the goals and impact we aimed for based on the needs assessment in 2019, I can say we exceeded them. The program has had a positive impact on the management of hubs and startup support across the 54 African countries and diaspora. We cannot overstate the positive feedback we have received from hub managers, startup founders and other members of the African Innovation Ecosystem who have benefited from the programme activities such as Hub Learning Weeks, Physical Workshops, Hubs in Residence, Virtual Meetup Grants, Capacity Building Awards, and the AfriLabs Academy. These testimonials are proof of the program’s effectiveness, and justification for the work put in by the team in ensuring the success of the programme. Many thanks to the program’s funder, Agence Française de Développement (AFD), for their support to the African Innovation Ecosystem. We encourage our partners and other organizations to capitalize on the program’s impact and best practices to further contribute to the advancement of the African Innovation Ecosystem.

NANKO MADU Director of Programmes, AfriLabs

An annual report of AfriLabs’ impact

2022: Connecting Africa’s ecosystem enablers to strengthen its innovation economy

What we did this Year

Quarterly Hubs Learning Week

19 Sessions Held

549 unique participants

10 English, 4 French and 5 combined sessions) bringing the total number of sessions held so far to 72 sessions

attended the Hubs Learning Week in 2022

( 48 English, 19 French and 5 combined sessions)

42% of these individuals are female.

58 Countries Represented

58 Countries were represented in the attendance; 52 African countries and 6 in the diaspora.

“The Sessions are very inspirational, to learn fundraising and marketing strategies from entrepreneurs who have survived the COVID-19 pandemic is very vital.”

“Thanks AfriLabs for training hub managers with valuable skills and capacity”

“The content was rich enough for any hub at any stage. Listening to experts on different topics explaining in detail just made the week awesome.”

ABDIKADIR MOHAMED RiyoHUB

NICK AZARIA MICHAEL Centre de Recherche et d’Expertise Scientifique

PATRICIA MTUNGILA Purple E

Meetup Grants

24 Grants Awarded

Over 3500 stakeholders

24 grants worth 72,000 euros were awarded to 24 hubs

Over 3500 stakeholders (Innovators, SMEs, MSMEs, startups and other categories of business owners) have been reached by hubs before, during and after the implementing meetup grants sessions.

2400+ Startups/Innovators/ Entrepreneurs supported during the meetups

2428+ female participants engaged during the series

An annual report of AfriLabs’ impact

At Nailab, we were honored to be selected as a partner in the AfriLabs Virtual Meetup Grant series 7 program in 2022. With a grant of 4,000 euros, we designed a virtual entrepreneurship capacity building and mentorship program that equipped 204 founders from East Africa with the tools they need to thrive in business. Our coaches, who were also successful business owners, brought real- life experience to the program, making it practical and engaging. We encouraged peer-to-peer learning and support, breaking down traditional classroom walls to create an open and dynamic learning environment. The program had a significant impact on the Nailab community, and we’re grateful to AfriLabs for supporting this empowering initiative.

NAILAB KENYA

2022: Connecting Africa’s ecosystem enablers to strengthen its innovation economy

Physical Workshops

An annual report of AfriLabs’ impact

2022: Connecting Africa’s ecosystem enablers to strengthen its innovation economy

An annual report of AfriLabs’ impact

Quotes from ACBP beneficiaries and other stakeholders

The lessons on visibility and fundraising have helped us to develop successful project proposals. Further the lessons on defining the business model and the products and services being offered has enabled Purple Innovation to have viable products and services and increase sales. As well as to offer relevant services mainly incubation to women-led businesses. Further, as a leader, I have gained insights on the flexible work culture required for people to thrive in a Hub and I am now more flexible and staff are somewhat more motivated.

Through the ACBP activities, the hub has been able to develop and mapped out specific local and international stakeholders for our fundraising activities. Through the mentorship program, important steps were taken to improve project impact communications to project partners and the public. New connections in terms of relevant stakeholders were established.

PATRICIA MTUNGILA Malawi

RECYCLE UP Ghana Hub

The lessons from ACBP activities have improved my approach to fundraising and hub management approach in a tremendous way. The lessons I learned from ACBP are amazing. It has changed the status quo in my overall strategy, process, and procedures.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE HUB Nigeria

2022: Connecting Africa’s ecosystem enablers to strengthen its innovation economy

Funding African Startups through Catalytic Africa

Funder: Agence Française de Développement (AFD)

Partners: AfriLabs, African Business Angel Network (ABAN)

The objectives of the fund include;

Catalytic Africa is a matching fund by the African Business Angels Network (ABAN) and AfriLabs that aims to strengthen African startups, innovation hubs, and angel investors while delivering impact results to institutional funders. We co-invest with angel investors in innovative startups with matching funds in the form of a grant. Founded in 2021 at the AfriLabs Annual Gathering in Abuja, Nigeria, the programme raises funds from institutional partners to add to a pool. This pool serves as a matching or co-investment fund to encourage investment in viable startups.

Increasing the investment made by angel investors in African start-ups

Fund African startups with innovative digital solutions & measurable impact

Strengthen African angel networks and innovation hubs

Presenting reliable ecosystem data, insights, and impact reporting for all stakeholders

An annual report of AfriLabs’ impact

CATALYTIC AFRICA BENEFICIARY IN 2022

2022: Connecting Africa’s ecosystem enablers to strengthen its innovation economy

An annual report of AfriLabs’ impact

Digitising the African Union: AU Digital and Innovation Fellowship Program

Funder: African Union and GIZ

Implementing Partner: AfriLabs

The African Union Digital and Innovation Fellowship Program aims to identify and deploy highly competent tech innovators from the African continent to units and organs within the African Union headquarters as resident fellows to understand the system within those units, identify data management challenges within the systems and solve the challenges identified by co-creating and building innovative tailor-made products and processes that improve data management processes and the overall work of the African Union.

2022: Connecting Africa’s ecosystem enablers to strengthen its innovation economy

The objectives of the African Union Digital and Innovation Fellowship Program are to ;

Identify and deploy highly competent tech innovators from across the continent to units within the African Union headquarters as resident fellows. Understand the systems and processes within the specified African Union units and identify data management challenges with the systems & processes. Solve the identified challenges by co-creating and building innovative tailor-made digital products and processes that improve data management and the overall work of the African Union. Ensure sustainability of the developed products and processes post the fellowship timeline, by strengthening the internal capacity of personnel within those units.

“The past months as an AU Digital and Tech Fellow have been nothing short of amazing! This unique experience has shaped my professional life through the tailored lessons offered by the fellowship, the practical skills gained on the job and people skills acquired. Most importantly, being an advocate for digital transformation at the African Union has proven that there is still a lot to be done as far as innovation is concerned, and I am confident that the fellows will make digitization possible. I am definitely looking forward to the last few months of the fellowship”

“I am empowered to develop an innovative service request platform for the AU which is at 90% completion. The last few months have been a blur of coding, end-to-end testing & catching up on my ever-growing to-do list but I am excited about the results”

TEBALO THATHO, Fellow, Department of Information and Communications (DIC).

SABINA NFORBA Office of the Youth Envoy.

An annual report of AfriLabs’ impact

2022: Connecting Africa’s ecosystem enablers to strengthen its innovation economy

African Union Civic Tech Fund

Funder: African Union

Implementing Partner: AfriLabs

The African Union Civic Tech Fund supports initiatives, particularly those led by or relevant to youth, that strengthen citizen engagement through the innovative use of data and digital technologies, or, in other words, that can support targeted civic technology solutions. The objective is to demonstrate effective models of citizen participation, support the scalability of initiatives, and influence policy to support replicable and/or

scalable civic technology initiatives and transformative citizen-led actions across the African continent. AfriLabs implemented a virtual accelerator program which trained 9 innovators across 6 African countries. The virtual accelerator training delivered content that aids collective thinking on how to scale up initiatives (civic technologies & digital tools).

An annual report of AfriLabs’ impact

Quotes from facilitators and beneficiaries

The trainings were well presented with content well thought of, prepared and facilitators demonstrated a deep understanding of the content and the Africa landscape. I really had an amazing experience”

The training was satisfactory, educational and helpful to our project especially the individual coaching sessions”

The training has been an eye opener for me. I have learnt new things which will help in my work”

RUFARO DONALD MAGUDURU Justice Code Foundation

GRACIOUS CHIMBALANGA For Equality

ALFRED KANKUZI Legal Wallet Limited

2022: Connecting Africa’s ecosystem enablers to strengthen its innovation economy

Supporting Climate Change Adaptation Enterprises through the 2022 YouthAdapt Challenge

Funder: Global Centre for Adaptation (GCA), African Development Bank (AfDB) and Climate Investment Funds (CIF).

Implementing Partner: AfriLabs

The Youth Adaptation Solutions Challenge (YouthADAPT Challenge) is an annual competition and awards program for youth-led enterprises (50% women-led) jointly organized by the Global Center on Adaptation (GCA), the African Development Bank (AfDB) and Climate Investment Funds (CIF) as part of the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program YouthADAPT Flagship Program. This challenge seeks to boost sustainable job creation through support for entrepreneurship and youth-led innovation in climate change adaptation and resilience across Africa. The 2022 edition was implemented by AfriLabs. The competition, launched in 2021, provides seed funding of up to US$100,000 for enterprises managed by youth under the age of 35 and owns climate change adaptation enterprise in Africa. The

winners will also go through a 12-month accelerator program to help them grow their businesses, deepen their impact, and scale up adaptation jobs.

“Young business leaders in Africa are bringing the innovation and action required to address the climate crisis. Through the AAAP, these young entrepreneurs have access to a global platform that will provide the tools, expertise, and finance required to break the barriers to scaling their solutions. I am proud to support and accelerate their success.”

PATRICK VERKOOIJEN CEO of the Global Centre for Adaptation (GCA).

An annual report of AfriLabs’ impact

African Youth Adaptation Solutions Challenge

“Agriculture is the future of Africa. As you know, that has been my gospel for many decades. The lowest bar is for Africa to feed itself. The high bar is for Africa to feed the world. Agriculture is a business. I encourage our young people to do three things: Create, Adapt and Prosper.”

“We are pleased to be a partner on this program that seeks to provide support to youth-led climate adaptation enterprises through capacity building and funding. This aligns with AfriLabs’ vision of building a thriving innovation economy. These innovators are a testament to the immense potential and resilience of young Africans.”

AKINWUNMI ADESINA President of the African Development Bank (AfDB).

NANKO MADU Director of Programmes, AfriLabs

2022: Connecting Africa’s ecosystem enablers to strengthen its innovation economy

YOUTH ADAPTATION SOLUTIONS CHALLENGE 2022: PROFILES OF WINNERS

An annual report of AfriLabs’ impact

GIZ-PAU Incubation Programme

Funder: GIZ and Pan African University

Implementing Partner: AfriLabs

Following the PAU (Pan African University) Innovation Challenge, 5 top finalists were selected as qualifiers of an incubation programme in Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Cameroon and Burkina Faso to be financed by the German Government, through GIZ. The incubation programme leveraged AfriLabs’ existing pipeline of innovation hubs in the exact locations of the finalists to provide a robust and intensive 3-months incubation programme that includes capacity building, business development, coaching, and support with resources and opportunities to produce full-fledged blueprints of viable and scalable solutions. The selected hubs are dubbed ‘Innovator Support Hubs’ and provide incubation services via online and offline channels throughout the programme.

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