Deadline: January 14, 2020
Calling all developers, ICT experts, engineers and innovators, to join Africa50 in finding sustainable solutions to respond to Africa’s most critical and pressing infrastructure development challenges.
Africa50’s Innovation Challenge provides you with an unparalleled opportunity to get your solution in front of an investment team and project funding partners, as well as gain exposure in Africa’s leading tech events. Africa50 is looking for the most innovative infrastructure and tech solutions which enable people to connect to the internet in their daily lives, through fixed and mobile devices.
The Challenge
The challenge area is Last Mile Internet Connectivity. The Challenge Proposition is “Significantly increase access to affordable and reliable high-speed internet in under-served areas in Africa.” The pilot country is Rwanda.
Benefits
- Financial Reward: Cash prize and/or potential project development funding
- Investor Connections: Access to B2B matching services to connect with new partners
- Deal Opportunities: Integrate Africa50’s pipeline of bankable projects
- Exposure and Influence: Opportunity to pitch your solution at AfricaCom and Transform Africa, the largest tech events in Africa
- Technical Support: Technical support to improve your project’s investment readiness
- Pan-African Footprint: Opportunity to scale your solution to Africa50’s shareholder countries (27 at present)
Eligibility
The call is open for innovators, engineers, entrepreneurs, ICT experts, individuals or organizations worldwide, to submit their workable solutions for implementation.
Innovations that meet the following criteria will be considered:
- Solutions at pilot and/or post-revenue stage
- Solutions must meet worldwide environmental, social and governance standards.
- Combinations of solutions are encouraged, including technological and deployment models, particularly those that work systemically and unlock a number of barriers to the challenges of last mile connectivity.
- Solutions may include physical infrastructure such as solar powered mobile masts and platforms, TV white-space technology, drones and local micro-nets, as well as innovative rural network deployment models.
- Novel ways of using existing technology and infrastructure, software or social engagement.
- Solutions to related issues such as energy access, supporting uptake and device affordability and usability are also encouraged.
- Solutions that have applicability in locations other than Rwanda are allowed. However, for this competition the solutions will be piloted in Rwanda.
Selection Criteria
An Expert Committee comprised of academic, industry, public policy and finance professionals will assess the extent to which participants meet the following technical and business parameters:
- Innovative: Solution is able to address the problem with new/original ideas and methods.
- Scalable: Solution is able to address the problem for a large number of users at relatively low cost per new user. It can be expanded nationally and internationally.
- Affordable: Solution is economically viable such that industry players and consumers can reasonably access the solution and the cost barrier is not high.
- Sustainable: Solution is not only economically viable but also creates shared value for local communities and resolves or at least prevents further disruption of the environment.
- Ready to be deployed: Throughout Rwanda within 12 months, meaning that field trials and relevant approvals have been gained, or can be obtained within the timescale.
- Modular: Solution is built in such a way that its constituent parts can function on their own or be assembled in different ways in order to meet diverse user needs. It can be plugged into various stages of the internet-connectivity value chain.
Application
For more information, visit Africa50 Innovate Challenge.
