Images by Merryl Omondi, Make-IT in Africa

START-UP ACCELERATORS IN THE ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEM

Start-up enablers from across Africa have benefited from the Startup Accelerators in the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem training series in Israel. 25 African start-up enablers took part in entrepreneur support training sessions across the country between June 18 and June 27 – in Haifa, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. The joint initiative was implemented by MASHAV (Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation) and The Golda Meir Mashav “Carmel” International Training Center (MCTC), and was supported by the Make-IT in Africa programme.

Targeting those involved in entrepreneur support – such as the managers of accelerators, SME support agencies and NGOs, or community managers – the training provided participants with skills and knowledge around ecosystem development, community building and fostering entrepreneurship. Make-IT in Africa covered the travel costs of 12 participating start-up enablers, allowing them to take part in the training and gain knowledge of different entrepreneur support approaches.

The start-up enablers supported by Make-IT travelled from the tech entrepreneurship ecosystems of Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and Rwanda. They were:

• Ghana – Soronko Academy, Ho Node Hub, InnoHub,
• Kenya – Kenya Climate Innovation Center, Techbridge Invest Startup Hub
• Nigeria – CC Hub, Blue Sapphire Hub
• Rwanda – FabLab Rwanda, DMM. HeHe, Rwanda Business Development Center, Enterprise Africa, 250 Start-ups

Of these 12 participants, the majority highlighted their desire to use this knowledge to implement different training prodecures in their home countries, to act as multipliers of knowledge. Among these procedures was the Partners in Acceleration (PiA) concept developed by Make-IT to implement its 2018 accelerator programmes in Nigeria and Kenya. All participants indicated that they had benefited from the training.