Digital Innovation Hubs have spread rapidly defying all odds after their emergence across Africa around 2010.Critics had pointed out their elusiveness, but Digital Innovation Hubs have shown their resilience today, out-living their third anniversary. Recent research carried out by Brits indicate that Africa’s Digital Innovation Hubs have grown to a new record of 643 across the continent with 25 percent providing coworking spaces, presenting an opportunity for DIH growth in Africa.

AfriConEU a program funded by the European Union’s Horizon2020 research and innovation program, consisting of a culturally diverse consortium to  explore the digital innovation ecosystem in Nigeria, Uganda, Ghana, and Tanzania has come in handy for the ever growing digital innovation hubs in Africa.

The program which envisions to support the strengthening of existing Digital Innovation Hubs in Africa and facilitate the collaboration between European Union and African Digital Innovation Hubs will strengthen a common EU-Africa innovation and Startup ecosystem.

 Additionally, the AfriConEU program will strive to achieve the collaboration by developing, testing, and validating a mechanism to share learning, best practices, experiences, and resources between Digital Innovations Hubs in Africa and EU, in a way that is aggregated, easy to understand, replicable, and self-sustaining.

Currently, the program is coordinated by INOVA+ in Portugal and the partners across the continent including: Emerging Communities Africa in Nigeria, Youthmakers Hub in Greece, Porto Business School in Portugal, Outbox in Uganda, dpixel in Italy, Stimmuli in Greece, ITC in Slovenia, Buni Innovation Hub in Tanzania, ATBN in United Kingdom, and Hapa Space in Ghana.

The AfriConEU project aspires to create the first Trans-Continental Networking Academy to support African and European Digital Innovation Hubs in capacity building, knowledge sharing, networking, collaboration, joint projects, and venture development. Besides, the project will develop the first Networking Academy between Africa and European Digital Innovation Hubs.

African and European Digital Innovation Hubs in a networking webinar meeting

The project also brings many opportunities for entrepreneurs and Digital Innovation Hubs like seminars and boot camps. AfriConEU highly recommends the entrepreneurs and Digital Innovation Hubs to subscribe to its Newsletter, as  it continue to seek DIHs, entrepreneurs, and investors who can greatly benefit and be benefited by the community.

AfriConEU has two platforms: one being Agrifood that works as a Digital Innovation Hub- “One-Stop-Shop”, providing digital transformation services to organizations through a Multi-Actor Approach providing: safe, sustainable, and quality food, while considering economic, environmental, and social aspects besides implications of food production and delivery. So far, more than 800 organizations have already been identified and registered on the platform. The second is e-learning platform that will be developed at a later stage of the project.

All project stakeholders will become part of a huge, brand new ecosystem with exceptional benefits. To start with, knowledge and experience sharing will be facilitated among the stakeholders. The development of mutually beneficial partnerships will enable the creation of collective projects to boost the digital economy, empowering youth and women besides supporting, fostering innovation and growth.

 In perfect alignment with the “Africa-Europe Alliance” goals, the AfriConEU project aims to enhance the capacity of African DIHs to accelerate the digital transformation of the African economy and society.

The AfriConEU project envisions to essentially strengthen and reinforce the digital innovation ecosystems in Africa by targeting existing Digital Innovation Hubs (DIHs) and supporting them through capacity building and networking activities, and connecting DIHs from Nigeria, Uganda, and Tanzania with DIHs from Europe. Follow AfriConEU online. for more information

If so wish to engage AfriConEU, please contact Techub AS through info@techub.no

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