Marketing News Rwanda

Subscribe

Advertise your job ad
    Search jobs

    African hubs endorse innovation policy manifesto

    A total of 90 African hubs from 32 countries with more than 450,000 innovators within their combined community, created and endorsed the Africa Innovation Policy Manifesto during the i4policy African Innovation Hub Convention, held on the sidelines of the Transform Africa Summit in Kigali, Rwanda, this week.
    African innovation hub.
    African innovation hub.

    Disrupt Africa reported last month the African Union Commission (AUC) Department for Trade and Industry has partnered i4policy and other innovation community leaders in Africa to organise what it claims is the largest ever gathering of community innovation hubs on the continent in Rwanda.

    The event took place this week, with the participating hubs co-creating and endorsing a manifesto that included policy recommendations such as easing mobility for Africans to travel in Africa, adopting the African Declaration on Internet Rights and Freedoms, and simplifying the regulatory environment to make starting a business and paying taxes easier and cheaper.

    Other key recommendations included redesigning education curricula together with a broad coalition of partners, such as labs and civic spaces, to emphasise critical thinking and digital skills, and increased investment in R&D to accelerate indigenous innovation.

    The major hub networks on the continent, including Afrilabs, the Global Innovation Gathering, Impact Hub Africa, Jokkolabs Global, MEST, rLabs and Womanity, have signed, while numerous affiliates and supporters also endorsed the document.

    “It is time for innovation for policy in Africa,” said Markos Lemma from iceaddis, Ethiopia. “We are not asking our governments to listen to us anymore. Instead, we will work with them to co-create policies that work for the innovation community. It is not a demand-supply relationship we want to have with policymakers. We want to have a relationship of cooperation and collaboration.”

    Source: Disrupt Africa

    Disrupt Africa is a one-stop-shop for all news, information and commentary pertaining to the continent’s tech startup – and investment – ecosystem. With journalists roaming the continent to find, meet, and interview the most innovative and disruptive tech startups, Disrupt Africa is a true showcase of Africa’s most promising businesses and business ideas.

    Our readers can keep up-to-date with the quirky world of tech hubs and accelerator programmes; and our reporters provide live coverage of the all-important tech and entrepreneurship events across Africa.

    For our startup, entrepreneur, and investor friends alike, our mission is to provide practical information and advice from across Africa’s varied vibrant markets, and to promote engaged and thought-provoking discussion about the exciting ecosystem we belong to.

    Go to: http://disrupt-africa.com/
    Let's do Biz