The third Make-IT Alliance meeting was held on March 22nd, 2017 at the biggest international faire for technology, CeBIT in Hanover. The meeting was hosted by the Federal Association for Information Technology, Telecommunications and New Media (Bitkom e.V.).
The hosts and the participants welcomed the first steps for the regional programme ‘Make-IT in Africa’. Dr Jan Schwaab (GIZ programme director Make-IT in Africa), Nicola Michels (Transatlantico) and Dr Michael Blank (DIHK) reported on the start of Make-IT in Africa and the first measures of setting the course.
- Tech ecosystem accelerator – a platform that offers consultation and networking opportunities in order to connect Make-IT Alliance offers with local partners and to facilitate start-ups’ ‘navigation in the ecosystem’.
- Start-up pool – a basis of information for B2B and investor contacts as well as for measuring Make-IT success
- Exposure projects – Innovation and B2B projects of members of the Make-IT Alliance which offer start-ups access to markets and clients
- Missing middle finance – Overview and access to funding for the critical growth phase of tech start-ups
The BMZ and the Make-IT members regarded the work in the two pilot countries Nigeria and Kenya as the basis for further activities in both Africa as well as other continents.
The BMZ reported that an expansion of Make-IT to Asia will be prepared.