Deadline: April 15, 2018
Calling African Innovators: apply to showcase at the Africa Innovation Summit 2018 (AIS) – Innovation Track. The Africa Innovation Summit is an initiative aimed at harnessing the innovation potential of the continent by bringing together stakeholders to undertake extensive dialogues on innovation in Africa. The AIS will take place in Kigali, Rwanda from 6 to 8 June 2018. AIS will be selecting top innovations to be showcased.
AIS is looking to showcase and support Innovative home-grown ideas/solutions that are solving Africa’s key challenges, and that are either ready to be commercialised or ready to scale for greater impact. This second AIS is in collaboration with the Government of Rwanda under the esteemed patronage of His Excellences President Paul Kagame and Pedro Pires (former President of Cabo Verde; 2011 Mo Ibrahim Prize Laureate). AIS is bringing together around 750 to 1000 stakeholders from various countries and sectors to support and drive innovative and disruptive solutions to Africa’s challenges.
AIS 2018 Innovation Track and Exhibition will also form part of the main AIS event. The Innovation Track and Exhibition will select the top innovations from across the continent to be showcased and presented at AIS 2018. This opportunity will provide a stage to profile home-grown innovations and innovators on the continent.
- Do you have an idea or solution that can drive positive change in Africa?
- Is your idea or solution at a critical stage and ready to scale?
- Do you want to meet influential people, policy makers, investors who are ready to discuss Africa’s development challenges and ways to solve them?
- Do you want to meet like-minded African innovators and change agents who are driving a new era of change in Africa?
Benefits
AIS 2018 is an already established African platform to drive, support and better understand innovation and all the issues that hold innovation back on the African continent. Country leaders, policy makers and other stakeholders who will be present at this rich gathering of minds can only do so much to understand and support innovation; it is critical that we include the voices and lessons from those that are working on the ground to solve Africa’s challenges.
The selected innovations will receive:
- opportunity to be profiled alongside the AIS brand and marketing
- access to leading thought leaders, policy makers, investors and academics relevant to their solution
- opportunity to have their voices represented in the main event plenary sessions to address key areas of influence to drive innovation
- ongoing access to the AIS high level community of leaders that are driving a practical and real innovation agenda for Africa.
Trip to Kigali:
- Please note that flight and accommodation costs for participation in AIS will be covered for the top selected innovations.
Eligibility
This opportunity is open to solutions that comply with the following criteria listed below – solutions that are:
- African-based and operating from one or more African countries
- Founded and managed by African nationals
- Either for profit, non-profit or hybrid entities (i.e. social enterprises)
- Solving one or more challenges that directly affect Africa in the following sectors (and/or any related value chains):
- Food security and agriculture (SDG 2)
- Energy (SDG 7)
- Water and Sanitation (SDG 6)
- Healthcare (SDG 3) and
- Governance
- Scalable: A solution that has the capability and potential to be enlarged and replicated to extend the reach of its mandate.
- Innovative: A solution that addresses a challenge in a new and different way often through a simpler and more effective means.
Note that selection preference will be given to:
- Existing solutions that are ready to scale for greater impact and reach
- Existing solutions that are registered in country i.e. business registration number or NGO certification
- Established solutions or ideas that can already prove a minimal viable product (MVP)
- Established solutions or ideas that can demonstrate evidence of tracked impact
- Established solutions that can demonstrate innovation – either in terms of actual product or service or delivery model (i.e. broad-base market reach)
Application
Click on the following application templates to view the full set of questions for your solution, as either Idea, Minimum Viable Product or Solution that is ready to scale.
For more information, visit AIS Innovation Track.
