The month of February started on a high note with the commencement of the first session of the AfriLabs Capacity Building Programme (ACBP) Physical Workshop for 2023. It was a 3- day workshop that was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The workshop aimed at equipping hub managers & staff with the practical knowledge needed to build successful startups. The workshop was funded by AFP through Digital Africa. Learn more about the ACBP here.
One highlight of the month was the award of recognition of AfriLabs’ Executive Director, Anna Ekeledo as one of 100 most influential women in Africa in 2022 by Avance Media. We are excited that her efforts in advancing the growth of innovation in Africa are being recognised. Congratulations to her and the entire AfriLabs community. Read about the award here.
As a part of our contribution to the growth of innovation in Africa, we provide our community with beneficial information about relevant opportunities. In line with this, AfriLabs & Web 3.0 Africa had a free info session on Web 3 and the Metaverse this month. It was a successful session and was open to the entire AfriLabs community. We also shared word about the AFRISE Challenge 2023 which provides an opportunity for high potential African youth and student entrepreneurs to rise up their entrepreneurial journey through a structured boot camp and accelerator program. Learn more about AFRISE Challenge 2023 here.
AfriLabs is set to partner with one of the best private universities in Africa, Covenant University, Ota, through the university’s innovation hub, Hebron Startup Lab. A series of meetings were held earlier this year between Professor Abiodun H. Adebayo, the Vice Chancellor of the university; Anna Ekeledo, Executive Director of AfriLabs; Dr. Itoro Emebolu, Board Member of AfriLabs; Dr. Mayowa Agboola, Coordinator of Hebron Startup Lab; and other stakeholders to map out the engagement strategies. Keep your eyes peeled for more updates.
In line with AfriLabs commitment to work with all stakeholders in Africa’s innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem, and in preparation for the 2023 AfriLabs Annual Gathering, AfriLabs’ Team visited several organisations in Rwanda to discuss areas of collaboration. Some of these included the Smart Africa Alliance, GIZ Make- IT, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and UNFPA. The AfriLabs Team also visited Carnegie Mellon University, Rwanda. We are enthusiastic about the collaborations that will emerge from this.
In a most exciting turn of events, AfriLabs launched the RevUp Women Initiative, supported by the Visa Foundation. This initiative is designed to accelerate women-led businesses into profitable and sustainable ventures that can create jobs on the continent. It is aligned with AfriLabs inclusion strategy to offer enterprise development intervention to early-stage women-led African startups and SMEs. The call for applications started on the 27th February, 2023. Learn more and apply here.
And that’s a wrap for February!