[Friday 8th July 2023—Lagos, Nigeria] Co-Creation Hub today announced a new co-funded initiative to support innovation within Higher Education Institutions in Africa with ‘Make-IT in Africa’ called the UNI:NNOVATORS Startups-in-Residence Program. Make-IT in Africa is a project implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

Through the UNI:NNOVATORS Startups-in-Residence Program, Co-Creation Hub will support 30 student-led innovations in Nigeria, Namibia, and Kenya in an effort to strengthen and accelerate the participation of academic institutions in the emerging innovation ecosystem across Africa. The selected startup teams will participate in a design sprint to improve on their research-based innovations and build prototypes focused on Greentech and smart city solutions in specific sectors – Agriculture, Energy, Circular Economy, Water, and Healthcare. 18 of these student-led teams who scale through after a pitch demonstration will participate in a knowledge exchange with leading researchers in their fields and get the opportunity to travel to Germany for physical sessions to help to strengthen their prototypes. They will then receive funding and advisory services towards building and deploying their MVPs in the marketplace and in partnership with the industry where applicable.

The program will culminate in a two-day summit in Nairobi, Kenya where startups will pitch to an international audience of investors and stakeholders as we try to showcase the critical role that Higher Education Institutions play in the broader innovation ecosystem on the continent.  The expectation is that we can support the many research-led innovations that Masters students, Ph.D. students, and even undergraduate students are building in our universities to solve some of the most critical and deepest challenges we have on our continent.

Co-Creation Hub will work with 6 Higher Education institutions in the three chosen countries. In Nigeria, we will work with the University of Ibadan and the University of Lagos. In Namibia, we will work with the University of Namibia and the Namibia University of Science and Technology. In Kenya, we will work with Riara University and the University of Nairobi. 

CcHUB remains committed to increasing prosperity across the continent through increased adoption of technology and innovation.

About Make-IT in Africa

Make-IT in Africa believes in the catalytic power of African innovation and digital technologies for green and inclusive development. In close collaboration with digital visionaries like startups, innovation enablers, and political partners, we empower African innovation ecosystems. Together, we aim to strengthen an environment in which the full potential of African digital innovation can unfold.

 We strongly believe that African innovation ecosystems cannot realize their full potential without more research on future breakthrough technologies and innovations in Africa led by African higher education institutions. Closing the skills mismatch and knowledge gap between academia and industry is a vital building block for future-ready digital innovation ecosystems.

For more information about Make-IT in Africa visit www.make-it.africa  

For further information on CcHUB please contact: Jude Adejuwon (jude@cchub.africa)