CONCLUSION As their number grows as a symptom of the overall expansion of technology ecosystems across Africa, innovation hubs, which have been considered as a proxy for the state of play in each respective ecosystem, and which have functioned as a catalyst for external funding and media coverage, are increasingly called out in virtue of their role as nodes for the entrepre- neurial and investment community to seize the opportunity to drive the debate on innovation forward. This implies consolidating their offerings and monitoring results, striving to achieve financial sustainability, and collaborating with peer organisations across the continent in order to adopt best practices and share learnings. In addition, the availability of data and information about the type of support hubs offer is making it possible to broaden the conversation beyond the mere Silicon Valley model and the search for “unicorns” in favour of understanding the more holistic role hubs play promot- ing cohesion and dialogue among peers and stakeholders.
AN UPDATED, OPEN DATABASE INCLUSIVE OF THE 643 HUBS IDENTIFIED IS MADE AVAILABLE AT CONNECT.AFRILABS.COM
BRITER BRIDGES
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